Yesterday I visited the Freemason's Hall in Great Queen Street, London (very close to Covent Garden tube), to see both their main collection and the ‘Building Solomon’s Temple’ exhibition. The Freemason’s Hall was designed by the Architects H V Ashley and F Winton Newman in 1933, and has been the centre of English freemasonry for 230 years. The building serves as the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England (formed in 1717), the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, and is also the meeting place for over 1000 Masonic lodges. Outside, the building’s imposing neoclassical ‘block’ is topped with a Temple, towering over the coffee shops and Masonic named pubs and regalia shops opposite. However, upon entering the building, you are immersed into an interior 'feast' of 1930’s style mixed with with Masonic symbolism, whichever way you turn.

The main Masonic Museum collection is situated on the first floor and is accessed through the main cloakroom. It houses “an extensive collection of objects with Masonic decoration including pottery and porcelain, glassware, silver, furniture and clocks, jewels and regalia. Items belonging to famous and Royal Freemasons including Winston Churchill and Edward VII are on display together with examples from the Museum’s extensive collection of prints and engravings, photographs and ephemera.” (taken from the official website). In fact the main collection room offers the visitor a feast of early Masonic ‘branded merchandise’ through the ages (as a designer might view the collection). Looming overhead on the mezzanine above are countless examples of Masonic chairs of all shapes and sizes – beautifully crafted and an amazing resource in their own right.

Audi Tace Vide – “Hear, see, be silent (if you would live in peace)” The United Grand Lodge of England’s coat of Arms.

Also next door to the main collection room was the ‘Building Solomon’s Temple exhibition’ housed in the library (finishes tomorrow – 27^th May 2011). The exhibition “explores how freemasonry took King Solomon’s Temple from literature to artefact and how archaeological exploration provided new material for use in Masonic ceremonies and architecture.” (taken from the exhibition’s leaflet). Books dating from the 1600 and 1700’s, beautiful scale models of what the temple might have looked like (one found hidden in desk’s secret compartment) and other regalia such as jewels and tracing boards offered up suggestions and implications to the craft and it’s rituals.

The next new exhibition opens in the Library and Museum on America’s Independence Day, Monday 4th July, and continues until Christmas. “It explores the role of freemasonry in American society from the 18th century to the present day, drawing on rarely seen objects from the Library and Museum’s own collections. One of the world’s rarest Masonic books – published by Benjamin Franklin in 1734 – will be displayed alongside the elaborate costumes and medals (Jewels) worn by American freemasons.”

More information, including access and opening times are available on their website here

Obsessionistas went to the National Vintage Communication Fair, hosted by the British Vintage Wireless Society on Sunday (14^th May). The NVCF is… “an antique-type collectors fair specialising in early technology and featuring thousands of rare and collectable items such as early radios, television receivers, gramophones, telephones, classic valve hi-fi and all manner of electrical and mechanical antiques & collectables.”

Held annually at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, located on the ancient Roman Fosse Way in the heart of the UK, includes an exhibition space, clubs and collectors stands along with over 200 stalls. The Fair sponsors and supports the City of London Phonograph & Gramophone Society (CLPGS) and the Telecommunications Heritage Group (THG) and is also attended by many of the country's other leading collectors' clubs and societies.

In 2010 the exhibition space featured some beautiful early TV’s and Radiograms (very big), this year it was the turn of the Romney Marsh collection of “Clandestine Transmitters and Receivers‘ (or… covert spy equipment).

We attended the event last year and came away with a gorgeous 1980’s Robert’s bedside radio for £25. We love its beautiful finger jointed wooden housing, early 7 bar green LED display and it’s humming transformer even helps send us to sleep after a hard day’s ‘grafting’ online!

This year we went to search out some of the keenest and interesting collectors and audiophiles of yesteryear. We spoke to some real enthusuiasts in the world of early phonographs, classic scientific equipment and 1950’s classic Braun audio units… which we were very tempted by.

More information at: British Vintage Wireless Society