BEAMISH 2000

On Wednesday, 19th April 2006, the Masonic Hall at Beamish Open Air Museum was finally opened, the culmination and end of a ten year project and the new beginning of telling the story of Freemasonry to the hundreds of thousands of people who will pass through its doors every year.

It all began in 1996 when the Millennium Project of the Province of Durham was launched by Rt W Bro The Rt Hon The Lord Barnard TD, Provincial Grand Master at that time and ten years later in 2006 it was brought to a successful end by his successor Rt W Bro Dr Alan Martin Davison, in the presence of the Most Worshipful Grand Master His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent KG.

The idea for the Masonic Hall in Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum came from Mrs Dorothy Hall, wife of W Bro Alan Hall, the Provincial Grand Secretary, and after preliminary discussions with Beamish a partnership was formed and the project launched.

Fundraising began in earnest in September 1999 under the direction of W Bro N E Heaviside, PSGD, AProvGM to raise £500,000 in four years, as the contribution from the Freemasons towards the cost of the £1M project.

The response of the Brethren of the Province of Durham was absolutely tremendous and the target was achieved well within the period set out for the fundraising. Unfortunately Beamish Museum was unable to put its funding for the project in place, and a delay of some four years was encountered before sufficient grants were obtained.

The Foundation Stone was laid on the 1st July 2000 with full Masonic Ceremony by Rt W Bro Dr Alan Martin Davison, Provincial Grand Master.

In August 2004, work on the foundations for the Building commenced and the external construction was completed by summer of 2005.

The frontage of the building came from Park Terrace, Sunderland which was carefully dismantled and erected as a separate contract by a singular stonemason.

Fitting out of the temple in its many aspects was of a very detailed nature, many of the interior items being loaned from our Provincial Museum and supplemented by items from Grand Lodge and donations from all over the country.

In the early morning of 19th April 2006 there was a light drizzle but as the day progressed and the official opening time approached, the weather improved and eventually the sun shone brightly on all present. More than 3,000 Masons and their families assembled in Beamish Museum lining the streets of the townscape for the Official Opening, many in regalia.

A procession to escort the Grand Master to the Masonic Hall numbered in excess of three hundred Freemasons in full dress regalia.

It was lead by the Burma Band of the local Territorial Army Battalion followed by the Masters of the 201 Lodges which meet in the Province of Durham. The Heads of the various Masonic Orders which meet within the Province were followed by the present and past Provincial Grand Masters of our neighbouring Provinces.

The Acting Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham then preceded a coach drawn by four horses and driven by The Lord Lieutenant of the County, Sir Paul Nicholson, which carried The Most Worshipful Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Kent, the Rt W Provincial Grand Master of Durham, Dr Alan Martin Davison, the Chairman of the Beamish Joint Committee and Miriam Harte, the Director of Beamish Museum.

The carriage party alighted and were welcomed by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W Bro Derek Richmond before ascending the podium. The formal proceedings began with the spirited singing of three thousand voices of “Hail Eternal by whose aid”

A speech by Miriam Harte welcomed the Freemasons of the Province of Durham and thanked them for their considerable contribution and advice in what had proved to be a magnificent project for the Museum. The Provincial Grand Master, Rt W Bro Dr Alan Martin Davison responded and said:-

“Your Royal Highness, My Lord Lieutenant, Chairman of Beamish Management Committee, Director of Beamish Museum and Ladies and Gentlemen and Brethren.

Most Worshipful Grand Master, it was in 1984 that you declared that Freemasonry must act to clear up the misconceptions people had about our Fraternity. You called for better openness.

There is no doubt in my mind that as a result Freemasonry today has a better public perception.

It was on 16th December 1996 at a meeting of senior Durham Masons at Raby Castle, under the Chairmanship of my predecessor, The Lord Barnard, that the germ of an idea was sown. We were considering a millennium project for the Durham Province and the following minute was recorded and I quote ‘the suggestion put forward by the wife of the Provincial Grand Secretary to reconstruct a redundant Masonic Hall in Beamish Museum was considered a good idea’.

At a later meeting Lord Barnard suggested that I as his Deputy Provincial Grand Master, the Provincial Secretary W Bro Alan Hall and W Bro John Hamill, Curator of Grand Lodge Museum should meet the then Director of Beamish.

The Director, to our delight was in favour of the scheme to rebuild a Masonic Hall in the streetscape at Beamish. The management committee decided that the project should go ahead.

So it was on the 1st July 2000 on a perfect summer day accompanied by Durham Masons in their full regalia I laid the foundation stone for our millennium project.

The project was to be jointly funded by Beamish Museum and the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham. The news of this unique project soon travelled throughout the Masonic world and we received donations from many Brethren and well wishers with a substantial sum from The Grand Charity.

My Assistant Provincial Grand Master W Bro Eric Heaviside and W Bro Tom Coulson, the Provincial Museum Chairman and Curator have worked closely with Beamish Staff on every aspect of the project.

The façade of this impressive 1869 Masonic Hall was found by the Provincial Secretary, the Provincial Curator and I when it was on the point of being demolished. It came from Park Terrace, Sunderland.

This Masonic Hall will be open every day to enable people from all walks of life to visit and hopefully clear up misconceptions that they might have about Freemasonry. I believe that it will be a prime attraction for Freemasons from this country and also from abroad.
I thank the Beamish Authorities for their cooperation and help in bringing our Millennium Project to such an impressive conclusion.

Most Worshipful Grand Master I now invite you to open this rebuilt Masonic Hall.”

The PGM concluded his remarks by presenting to the Grand Master a Sunderland Ware Jug.

The Grand Master, accompanied by the Provincial Grand Master, proceeded towards the Masonic Temple where he had presented to him W Bro N E Heaviside, the Fundraiser for the project and whose efforts had achieved so much success for the project; W Bro T F R Coulson, Chairman and Curator of the Provincial Grand Lodge Library and Museum, whose extensive knowledge of Freemasonry in general had given such valuable assistance in ensuring the overall accomplishment of the Millennium Project and Mrs Dorothy Hall whose idea it was to erect the Masonic Hall.

Mrs Dorothy Hall offered the key of the Masonic Hall to the Grand Master who proceeded to open the doors of the Masonic Temple and declare the project complete and open for the public.

The Grand Master and many other guests of the Province and Beamish Museum toured the Masonic Hall, admired the building in general and viewed the many and varied items which had been collected and displayed in the working environment of a Masonic Hall.

The Grand Master re-emerged from the Masonic hall and stood whilst the National Anthem was sung by the crowds.

The procession reformed and was lead back by the Grand Master and the Provincial Grand Master through the townscape and the many hundreds of visitors present moved forward to visit the spectacle of the Masonic Hall, within the Beamish North of England Open Air Museum.

Before proceeding to his next appointment at Durham Cathedral, His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent took lunch and was introduced to many visitors from the Province of Durham, neighbouring Provinces and Civic Heads from the county who were present as guests of Beamish Museum.

This truly was a memorable day that will long remain in the memory of those who witnessed this special Masonic occasion