Hidden gems

initiates reporting that Solomon helps them get a better understanding of Freemasonry. More than 75 per cent of those with more than 40 years’ experience agree. Over 90 per cent of all users say that there’s a lot of material they want to return to.

Solomon wisdom is shared by more than half of users More than 50 per cent of users share Solomon Nuggets and Papers with other Freemasons on a one-to-one basis. It’s mostly more experienced members sharing with junior ones. However, 55 per cent say that their lodge or chapter has not yet used Solomon in meetings but intends to.

We found that less experienced Freemasons tend to use Solomon for their own benefi t, with those with 15+ years of experience sharing content more regularly. This peaks for those with 20 to 30 years of experience – presumably when they have been through the Chair/s and are likely to have had further promotion in their masonic careers.

Specific feedback gave us inspiration Almost 50 per cent of respondents gave specifi c comments on Solomon, some challenging, others neutral, but the majority supportive of our current approach. This gave some great insights on how to take the platform forward.

The 13 per cent of comments that questioned the current approach mainly had reservations about ease of navigation or the content itself. The team is taking these comments on board and are maximising the ease of use of the platform.

Neutral feedback made up 30 per cent and was generally from those who felt they had not yet fully grasped the platform, but indicated they wanted to know more. They were less likely to use Nuggets or Papers in their lodges and chapters and felt that Solomon had made less impact in their unit. This group is most in need of explaining the benefi ts of using Solomon beyond their personal learning.

Some 57 per cent of feedback was positive and focused on great content, good variety, and ease of access. This group was also the most likely to share content with others and reported the biggest benefi t to their units. We are developing Solomon to further engage this audience with audio, video, quizzes, webinars and increased social interaction.

Solomon is working for individuals, but not enough in lodges and chapters The fi rst conclusion to be drawn is that Solomon is succeeding in its ambition to satisfy the needs of those who want to use it for personal study. Almost 80 per cent of respondents stated they were using Solomon for their own use and were very satisfi ed with how it worked for them.

There were few negative comments about content, so it is evident that we are clearly succeeding in the material that we present.

Another positive is that 50 per cent of respondents (mainly experienced Freemasons) have passed on material to other members.

We need to work more on how Solomon could penetrate into the life of lodges and chapters. Only 40 per cent of respondents reported that they had used Nuggets while 30 per cent of them had used Papers in their lodges and chapters. Nearly 20 per cent who do not use Nuggets are in lodges and chapters that do not report an intention of using material from Solomon in the future.

What next for Solomon? Our plan is to increase our focus on how we market and publicise Solomon and the whole UGLE Learning & Development approach to provide evidence of the benefi ts for those who are reserving judgement.

We will also devote more of our energy to uncovering the benefi ts of Solomon for lodges and chapters using the material, and incorporate this on how we develop and communicate these benefi ts that are available beyond personal learning.

After all, for most, Freemasonry is about a fraternity that makes you a better person. The content Solomon off ers can be a catalyst for this by making understanding a social experience, and bringing about a shared sense of progress.

Almost 50% gave specific comments on Solomon, the majority supportive. They gave some great insights about how to take the platform forward

Nearly 80% were using Solomon for their personal use and were very satisfi ed with how it worked for them

13%

had reservations about ease of navigation. The team is taking on board these comments to maximise usability

57 %

of feedback was positive and focused on great content, good variety and ease of access

30% gave neutral feedback. They had not yet fully grasped the platform but wanted to know more

The museum collection at Great Queen Street has around 30,000 items related to Freemasonry and other fraternal societies from the United Kingdom and around the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, items have steadily entered the museum on a loan basis from approximately 100 lodges and chapters. These consist of a vast range of materials, such as lodge furniture, paintings, jewels and regalia, which are often of great significance to Freemasonry. Many of these items came into the collection for previous exhibitions and were then retained.

As the Collections Manager for the museum, I’m responsible for the care of all of the incoming loans. In early 2018, I began a project to review all of these lodge and chapter loan items.

Currently, there are some loan items on display in our North and South Galleries. However, many more are being cared for in our stores, which are only accessible to the museum team. Some are available

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BURIED TREASURE

Collections Manager Emma Roberts is on a quest to return and rehome loaned items previously held at the Museum of Freemasonry

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Returned items 1. Ch’ien Lung punch bowl c.1780, Jubilee Lodge, No. 72 2. Silver commemorative plate, Wrekin Lodge, No. 2883 3. Dispatch box used by King Edward VII as Grand Master 4. Copper printing plate, Grenadiers Lodge, No. 66

to view on our online catalogue, but not all, so a lot of these items were considered inaccessible to our visitors. It was apparent that this needed to change, as one of our aims is to make our items available to all.

Once the initial review of the items had been completed, I began contacting lenders about their loans, and the replies have been encouraging. Some of the Secretaries and Scribes E were surprised to be contacted, as they were unaware the items existed let alone residing in the museum. One Secretary was relieved to know that the treasures of his lodge were safe and sound, as he had been searching for them for two years.

I have worked closely with lodges and chapters to return items back into their care, and have also helped to find new homes for others. One particular success has been Lodge of Antiquity, No. 2, which up until 2018 had more than 60 items in our collection. Most of their items were in the museum stores and the Secretary and other lodge members thought it a shame that their beautiful and significant items were not being shared with our visitors. So in mid-2018, three members of the lodge visited us to review the items in person. This resulted in 10 being returned to the lodge directly, some of which were jewels that could be used by current members.

There were other items on loan from the lodge, such as paintings of George IV, the Wren Maul and Cleopatra’s Needle ashlar, that have remained on loan, as they are significant items and integral to the displays in our galleries. However, there were another 22 items that were not being displayed, which was a conundrum.

The Museum of Freemasonry at Great Queen Street is not the only masonic museum in the UK. There are Provincial masonic museums and libraries around the country. Warrington Museum of Freemasonry in the Province of West Lancashire was established in 2010 and achieved Arts Council England accredited status in 2018. For this reason it was felt that it could offer a new home for the remaining items belonging to Lodge of Antiquity. The curatorial team at Warrington were delighted to accept the offer. The accredited status of this museum also assured the lodge members that their objects would be cared for with the same standard as they always have been at Great Queen Street.

In November 2018, the remaining items were carefully packed and transported up to Warrington. They are now proudly on display in the museum there. This has been a fantastic outcome, as they are now being seen by a much wider audience.

Up to the end of 2020, I have continued to contact lodge and chapters and will continue to do so throughout 2021. The Museum of Freemasonry is very grateful to all the lenders who kindly loan items to us for our displays. However, we are not seeking new loans for the collection at this time. You can explore our collections by visiting us in person or using the online catalogue on our website.

www.museumfreemasonry.org.uk

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