St Mark’s Hall, Glasgow

The following appeared in the Masonic News paper in 1871a bout the new masonic hall at 213 Buchanan Street in Glasgow. tic, and, if possible, improved manner, we find only a paltry, gaudy copy of an Egyptian tomb!

The response by an unknown author to this article was as follows:

Sir, — I observed at P. 492 (above) in your last number a notice anent the New Hall of St. John's Lodge, Glasgow, in which are several mistakes. I am not aware that said Hall really stands "due east and west," for upon consulting a large new map of Glasgow I find that, as it fronts Buchanan Street, it must have a considerable dip towards the south at the east end. Then the chair for the Senior Warden is at the west end, not at the "east;" and there is no "Grand,” but a Junior Warden.

However, these are only small verbal errors: the chief point of interest is the Hall and its decorations, which in my opinion, are anything but satisfactory. Freemasonry delights in holding by what it calls "the ancient landmarks," or established usage —these, however, have in this case been discarded, and instead of the approved emblems, symbols, &c., being employed in an able, appropriate, artisWhat on earth an Egyptian tomb, or temple either for that matter, has to do with a Freemasonic-hall 1 know not, more especially the hall of a lodge which prides itself upon being such a purely croft lodge. Were the St. John's lodge intending to revive the "Egyptian Masonry" of the notorious Cagliostro, which flourished for a short time about eighty years ago, or to practise the rite of Misraim, or some similar tomfoolery, we might see cause why Egyptian symbolism should be copied, and gilded wooden sphinxes, &c., introduced, but as we understand such is not their intention we must consider their innovation a great mistake.

Even the manner of carrying out the work is anything but good ; the cornice is all executed in paint, and is most unnecessarily broken into in six different places, to the height of about nine inches, by six large ventilators, so shown off as if each one had a large poster on its breast with the inscription " I am a ventilator!" Then as a representation of "chaos,” we have the circles of a shooting-target with a thunderbolt striking the bull's eye; and for "light" we find a large yellow gowan, or "sun," about two feet in diameter pasted up against a lot of dirty muslin, alias "clouds," I suppose, the effect being rather more allied to the ludicrous than the sublime. So much for masonic artistic decoration and architectural forethought and propriety in Glasgow!

I sincerely hope that any such sham gingerbread work will not be again attempted in Glasgow. It may perhaps please the vulgar and ignorant to see a lot of gaudy flaming colour stuck up all around them, but any person of good taste is sure to be disappointed.

The proper plan to do would have been to improve upon St. Mark's, just as the old thirteenth-century cathedral builders did upon

Office Bearers Duties

the works of their predecessors: any paltry copying, or attempted revival of an old dead style, is seldom satisfactory. We might as well go back to the old Egyptian style in the carriage of our goods. By Masonicus

St. Mark’s Hall was for general public use although it was mainly the lodges that used it prior to 1900. One example is the first meeting of Lodge Dramatic No.571 in 1875. It was commonly known as the (St. Mark’s) Masonic Hall although may have been colloquial rather than official. Today, a shoe company occupies the spot where the hall was situated at the top end of Buchannan Street and as can be seen, the whole building has been demolished for the new shops and flats.

Below is from the 2005 syllabus which shows the duties of an OB at that time. Although the instruction class never really took off, the rest of the duties are as relevant today as then. I will not dwell on these but for the new team installed last month, let’s hope they relish these duties and do all in their power for th good of the lodge and the Craft.