July’s meeting – Demystifying the Freemasons

Have you ever walked or driven past the Masonic Hall along the seafront and wondered what actually goes on in there? Well, here’s your chance to find out just that!

This July, we’re heading to the Hastings & St Leonards Masonic Hall – a Grade II-listed Georgian building right here on our doorstep – for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Freemasonry in our local community.

We will be given a guided tour of the Hall, including the ceremonial chambers that are rarely open to the public. Built in 1829 and home to Freemasonry since 1913, the building itself has a brilliant history and is well worth seeing up close.

Our hosts will be talking us through what Freemasonry is, what it stands for, and the very real contribution it makes to communities like ours. You may not know that the Masonic Charitable Foundation gives over £50 million every year to charitable causes across the UK, including a dedicated fund supporting cancer research through a named cancer chair, as reported by Channel 4. Locally, lodges like Derwent Lodge No. 40 (with over 200 years of Freemasonry in Hastings) and Senlac Lodge No. 5273 (the only military lodge in the Province of Sussex) are a quiet but significant part of the fabric of this town.

We’ll also be hearing about what membership looks like today, and from the female arm of Freemasonry – a growing and active part of the modern Masonic story that often surprises people.

Come along with an open mind and leave with a much fuller picture of an organisation that has been part of Hastings’ life for generations.

We’ll have our usual breakfast and informal networking before hearing from our speakers and heading on the tour, with plenty of time to chat and connect afterwards.