Masonic villans

[sidcow]

On 02/10/2023 at 09:35, Xela said:

It's the Rolls Royce of secretive organisations. 

The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes says hi

[sidcow]

23 hours ago, veloman said:

We used to play at Masons' "Ladies Nights". Played at Yenton Lodge , top of Gravelly Hill, one in Moseley and the big one in Hagley Road which was called The Something Suite - can't remember. 

The Clarendon suites.

2 things immediately came to mind for me when this thread appeared:

1) How are they still going in the modern world?  Not just the public ridicule down the years which must have created a stigma, but the whole ceremonial and costume aspect of it.  It's surely a thing of the past.   The Round Table does a lot of good charity works without all that nonsense, which probably leads to:

2) The Clarendon Suites.  I've been there many times for business functions and my professional exams were also often held there.  It was an absolutely MASSIVE place.  A huge banquet suite and loads of big meeting rooms.  No windows anywhere in the building.  Possibly the most 70's interior I've ever seen and plenty of that Masonic slant in the design.  Slightly Grecian?  Lots of geometric shapes which I guess reflects their origins.   I assume there were plenty of out of sight secretive Masons areas the general public didn't get access to.

Anyway it must have cost a small fortune to build in the first place and must have generated a LOT of income.  However it was an enormous plot of prime real estate on The Hagley Road.  They must have sold it for a very tidy sum.

So I've been trying to find out where they spent the money and where their new mega lodge site is in Brum, but I can't seem to fin anything. Just a long established older but small lodge building behind The Mailbox.

Which leads me to believe they probably are on the slide.  No need for such a large building and presumably needed the money.  Maintenance maybe became an issue.  So they've gone from having the funds in he late 60's early 70's to build  such an enormous complex, to not being able to maintain it and having to eventually sell it with no meaningful replacement.  Thats my outside take anyway.

Edited October 3, 2023 by sidcow

[Mark Albrighton]

Honestly Blackadder, I don’t know why I'm bothering to get dressed. As soon as I get to the Naughty Hellfire Club, I'll be debagged and radished for non-payment of debts.

“Radished", sir?

Yes, they pull your britches down and push a large radish right up your…

Yes, yes, all right! There's no need to hammer it home.

Well as a matter of fact, they do often have to…

NO! NO!

[Rodders]

the secrecy is **** stupid, if you don't want myths and bollocks out there talk about it, otherwise no reason not to consider it as ridiculous as any other fraternity, religion, whatever you like, built on clubby chummy innies versus outies stupidity.  No different to bullingon club, private members clubs, religious cults, unless explicitly told otherwise. 

[Spoony]

I’ve been to dinners at Inns of Court and at a round table event and some of the livery companies in London. It’s all the same shit. 
 

I’ll actually expand on this. I have no problem with a bit of pomp and ceremony and tradition and what not. And if it makes people happy and gives them a sense of belonging and causes no harm then fine crack on I’ve got no issue with it. 
 

but the problem is that I don’t think they “cause no harm”. They are the refuge of the middle class white male tories. You can spin it how you want in terms of inclusive policies but it’s bollocks. Dinners at Inns for barristers and aspiring barristers are unnecessarily intimidating for non-rich non-white people and that’s a big big problem in the legal community which is totally ignored. You are made to feel inadequate if you can’t use 15 types of cutlery and recite whatever quasi-Christian bullshit they want you to recite and engage in.

I went to a round table dinner because I was forced to as a networking opportunity. It is male only which does kind of bother me but whatever, it’s at least ‘inclusive’ and their goals are, allegedly, mostly charitable. But actually it isn’t. I heard more racist and misogynistic chat in one evening than I’d heard in the last 10 years. The poor waitress was being hammered with shit jokes and creepy chat from fat white old men and had nowhere to hide. I left asap as I did not want myself associated in any way with these cretins.

Livery companies. Again I’m fine with the pomp and ceremony as that follows the history and if you’re into that then fine. But again it is indirectly discriminatory because it’s only appealing to white people. You can paint it however you want in terms of inclusiveness but it just isn’t.

I think it’s all damaging to wider society as the goal is ultimately “us” and “them”, and “us” is always middle aged and white men grooming younger white men to replace them.

If one of these organisations was genuinely inclusive it wouldn’t bother me, but I don’t see it. Perhaps it doesn’t matter in a lot of cases but in the ones Ive had to unfortunate experience some have genuine societal influence, and that is a problem. 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Spoony

[sidcow]

There is a club on the 18th floor of the building I work in.  You can join by paying an annual fee.  When you are a member you can go in there and buy drinks, snacks, exceptionally nice coffee.  You can take guests in.   

You don't have to wear any funny clothes and you don't undertake any ritual.

As far as I know anyway, I've only been as a guest.

Edited October 3, 2023 by sidcow

[Xela]

35 minutes ago, sidcow said:

There is a club on the 18th floor of the building I work in.  You can join by paying an annual fee.  When you are a member you can go in there and buy drinks, snacks, exceptionally nice coffee.  You can take guests in.   

You don't have to wear any funny clothes and you don't undertake any ritual.

As far as I know anyway, I've only been as a guest.

Whats the fee?

There used to be another 'exclusive' members club on Colmore Row called The Colmore Club. Not sure it exists anymore. It was £500 a year membership. On the first day they had 2500 applications 

[sidcow]

3 minutes ago, Xela said:

Whats the fee?

There used to be another 'exclusive' members club on Colmore Row called The Colmore Club. Not sure it exists anymore. It was £500 a year membership. On the first day they had 2500 applications 

I think it's about the same, possibly cheaper.  £25 a month rings a bell..  Only you get to sit in a glass box overlooking the city with a massive open air terrace instead of a dingy basement.

[sidcow]

6 minutes ago, Xela said:

Whats the fee?

There used to be another 'exclusive' members club on Colmore Row called The Colmore Club. Not sure it exists anymore. It was £500 a year membership. On the first day they had 2500 applications 

Actually I think it may only be open to tenants of the building

https://www.103colmorerow.com/eighteen/

[Xela]

12 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Actually I think it may only be open to tenants of the building

https://www.103colmorerow.com/eighteen/

You can sign me in. I promise I won't embarrass you. 

[bickster]

True story. In the Guild of Students at Liverpool university, there is, in the old part of the building a Masonic Temple. It's no ordinary level temple, it's a couple of rungs up the ladder.

When I was a student there and very active in student politics, someone (someone from the Women's Group possibly) moved a motion to Guild Council... "To ban the Masons from the Guild". The university were outraged and sent messages to the student union threatening funding cuts etc....

Motion comes to council and is defeated (due to the threats from Senate)

I quickly drew up a new motion, presented it as an emergency motion that simply said that "The Guild of Students welcomes outside hires of it's facilities wherever possible but all external organisations hiring any of the Guilds facilities must prove that their organisation does not discriminate against anyone on the grounds of sex, race, Religion (or lack thereof) etc... and that all external hirers would be required to sign a declaration that this is the case." To bring them into line with all internal societies and groupings. Council instructs the President to make all current hirers aware of this policy change within one week and to add the declaration to all future external hires.

The Masons f***ed off the very next day.

We we didn't ban them, they left of their own accord.

There is now a very underused mid level masonic temple in the Guild of Students (they can't do much with it, I think it's listed), it's been that way for nearly 4 decades.

[veloman]

@sidcow, that's it Clarendon Suite. My main memory of that was that there was a 'difficult ' stair case at the back to get the gear in  - they wouldn't let us load the amps etc through those front doors. As regards whether they do any harm - my solicitor was one and he told me if the police/ prosecution knew a defendant was "on the square", they might go easy on him. Not ideal I guess.