(by Victoria Munro, Waltham Forest Echo, 4 May, 2023)
“We’re not a secret society,” insists Eric Husband, member of the Chingford-based branch of the mysterious Freemasons, “We’re a society with secrets.”
The Chingford Masonic Hall is an assuming one-storey building only a short walk from Chingford Station and the site of rituals and ceremonies that members of the public are forbidden to witness, although parts of the building are available to hire for parties.
While these intricate rituals – so numerous a member of 40 years told me he had not learned all of them – are underway, two of the current 29 Masons in Hainault Lodge guard the doors to their ceremonial space, one armed with a dagger and the other armed with a sword.
They are purportedly prepared to use them if an outsider tries to force their way inside. Given both men are, like many of the lodge’s members, over retirement age, it’s unclear if…
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While these intricate rituals – so numerous a member of 40 years told me he had not learned all of them – are underway, two of the current 29 Masons in Hainault Lodge guard the doors to their ceremonial space, one armed with a dagger and the other armed with a sword.
They are purportedly prepared to use them if an outsider tries to force their way inside. Given both men are, like many of the lodge’s members, over retirement age, it’s unclear if…
read more:
