The Masonic Emporium

When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 there were about 500 Masonic lodges in the British Empire. By the time she died in 1901, there were nearly 2,000. All these new lodges needed equipment and all the new members needed their ceremonial costumes so these years also saw the development of specialist retailers who adopted modern marketing techniques to reach their audience. ‘The Masonic Emporium’ exhibition at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry in Freemasons’ Hall in London’s Covent Garden explores the development of this market, telling the story of its suppliers and customers. It runs from Thursday 1 July to Thursday 23 December 2010 and is free of charge to all visitors.

Sir Winston Churchill’s apron, and the case in which it was kept, are amongst the items on display in ‘The Masonic Emporium’ at the Library & Museum of Freemasonry. The apron case is inscribed - Bro. Winston L.S. Churchill Studholme Lodge No 1591 - in gold lettering.
Every lodge and every mason could acquire their full complement of required clothing and equipment from a single supplier.

‘The Masonic Emporium’ exhibition at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry explores the development of this market, telling the story of its suppliers and customers. It also explores how manufacturing for this market changed from a small scale cottage industry to larger scale production and how Masonic manufacturing took full advantage of increasing industrialisation.