Two Pieces of Antique China
Gillian, who lives locally, is an authority on vintage ‘blue’ pottery. She owns two plates dating from about 1825 on which is depicted the original UGLE headquarters in Great Queen Street and surrounded by a design including various Masonic Symbols.
The larger oval platter measures 53.3cm long and the smaller plate about 15cm in diameter.
Gillian and her husband Terry provided some interesting background on the design of the plates and history of the building:
In the 1770s the Grand Lodge of the Moderns acquired premises at 61 Great Queen Street. This consisted of a house fronting the street with another smaller building, possibly a coach house behind it, and behind that a garden. In 1774 the front house was let out and the rear house became the Freemasons Tavern. In 1775 a hall was added, financed by a form of lottery among the Freemasons, and was used for Masonic and non-Masonic events including dinners, balls and concerts.
In 1778/9 the front house was demolished and used to enlarge the Freemasons Tavern, which now had a frontage on Great Queen Street. This is the building depicted on the plates.
The entrance to the Hall was through the door on the right-hand side of the Tavern. The young girls seen entering the Hall on the platter (not shown on the smaller plate) are from the Royal Cumberland Freemasons School for the daughters of deceased and indigent Freemasons. They would be paraded around the Hall to sing during intervals in fund-raising concerts for the school charity.
In 1778/9 the front house was demolished and used to enlarge the Freemasons Tavern, which now had a frontage on Great Queen Street. This is the building depicted on the plates.
The entrance to the Hall was through the door on the right-hand side of the Tavern. The young girls seen entering the Hall on the platter (not shown on the smaller plate) are from the Royal Cumberland Freemasons School for the daughters of deceased and indigent Freemasons. They would be paraded around the Hall to sing during intervals in fund-raising concerts for the school charity.
1813 saw the merging of the Ancients and Moderns Grand Lodges to form the United Grand Lodge of England. In 1815 J.J. Cuff, one of the three managers of the Tavern, had purchased two houses to the west of the Tavern at Nos 62 and 63 Gt Queen St. These were leased to the Grand Lodge and extended and adapted to provide an additional Hall to accommodate the large number of Freemasons using the premises, together with administrative offices. By 1823 Cuff was the sole leaseholder of the Tavern. The plates bear his name on the reverse.
A major redevelopment was completed in 1869, when the Lodge and Tavern buildings were demolished and replaced with one large building. The Tavern, with its new banqueting room occupied Nos 62 and 63. The Tavern closed briefly in 1905 but re-opened after refurbishment in 1909 as the Connaught Rooms, in honour of the then Grand master, the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.
During the building of the present Freemasons Hall from 1927 through to 1933, much of the earlier buildings was demolished. However, part of the façade of the original Freemasons Tavern and the 1869 banqueting room remain as part of the Connaught Rooms.
The Museum of Freemasonry at Freemasons Hall has several pieces of the blue and white dinner service, but these pieces are now very rare and little is known to remain of what must once have been a very large service to supply the needs of the 400 guests that the Hall could accommodate.
During the building of the present Freemasons Hall from 1927 through to 1933, much of the earlier buildings was demolished. However, part of the façade of the original Freemasons Tavern and the 1869 banqueting room remain as part of the Connaught Rooms.
The Museum of Freemasonry at Freemasons Hall has several pieces of the blue and white dinner service, but these pieces are now very rare and little is known to remain of what must once have been a very large service to supply the needs of the 400 guests that the Hall could accommodate.
With grateful thanks to Gillian and Terry for allowing access to their collection and for providing the insights recorded in this article.
