Copyright 2021 Geoff Hadaway. All rights reserved.
SOUTH SHIELDS FREEMASONS'
FREEMASONS' HALL
Ingham Street, South Shields, NE33 2DQ
Reproduced by kind permission from the
Province of Nottinghamshire website
More about Freemasonry...
Freemasons are particularly proud of the provenance and heritage rooted in the stonemasons' craft as far back in history to the masons who built King Solomon's temple, as recorded in the Old Testament.
Just as apprentices in bygone days were guided through a rigorous and painstaking training process, so Freemasons today are led on a long path of self-discovery and learning, step by step, with the story unfolding, piece by piece over a number of years. It is that incredible process of continuous discovery that requires always that each step remains protected from premature disclosure - hence the so-called "secrecy" or privacy of elements of our ceremonies.
Apart from life itself, Freemasonry's classrooms are the Masonic "Lodges". They mirror the ancient groups of stonemasons wherein their skills were passed down through the generations. Nowadays, a different craft - that of self-improvement and development - is handed down in the Lodges through strict adherence to a variety of ceremonies and rituals.
On display in every Temple - the meeting place of Masonic Lodges - are two small blocks of stone - one rough and one smooth. Symbolically, they represent the progression of a Mason's life from start and finish - from the unprepared apprentice to the accomplished, learned master.
