Back to top
Museum of Freemasonry
At the Museum of Freemasonry, the goal is to help you learn about Freemasonry in all its cultural richness.
If you’re a Freemason, the museum is a treasure trove for exploration. If you’re not a Freemason, it’s the perfect place to visit and discover what Freemasonry is all about.
The exhibitions and events illuminate the history of Freemasonry, explore its traditions and values, and reveal its significance through the ages and around the world.
Established in 1838, the museum has had a dedicated home at Freemasons’ Hall since 1933. Like most museums, only a fraction of the collection is on display. It looks after an extraordinary array of artefacts, many almost 300 years old. The collection includes the records of the United Grand Lodge of England, the Supreme Grand Chapter and various Masonic charities.
Book a tour or register as a reader to use the library and archives for your research at the Museum of Freemasonry
Discover more and plan your visit
It also includes archives relating to individual Freemasons, Lodges and Chapters. Together, the collections at the museum, library and archives have been awarded ‘Designated Outstanding’ status by the Arts Council. There are only just over 150 of these in England as a whole. The award recognises that the collections at the museum, library and archives have national and international importance, and that they are unique.
Do you have a Freemason in the family? The Museum of Freemasonry worked with Ancestry to include the names of more than 1.7 million members of English Lodges from membership registers covering 1751 to 1921. These records can be accessed through an Ancestry subscription, or you can access them for free in the Museum, once you have registered as a reader and booked a research desk. For further information, visit the Get to Know: Ancestry section on the Museum of Freemasonry’s website.
Based on the first floor at Freemasons’ Hall, the museum is open to all, with free entry Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
Peace through sacrifice Brothers in Alms
This exhibition of rare photographs spans the period from the Second Boer War through to the end of the Second World War, and features those who led and those who served on land, sea and in the air. It portrays the great landscape of the conflict across all continents and the diversity of the participants.
Join Freemasonry today
Locate your local lodge where you live, work or study.
International lookup by area