Difference between revisions of "The Pavement"
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The pattern also appears on a painted tracing board made for Silurian Lodge in Ludlow. That board later belonged to the Lodge of the Marches and was acquired by the Museum of Freemasonry in 2021.<ref name="museum" /> | The pattern also appears on a painted tracing board made for Silurian Lodge in Ludlow. That board later belonged to the Lodge of the Marches and was acquired by the Museum of Freemasonry in 2021.<ref name="museum" /> | ||
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| + | At Redruth Masonic Hall, completed in 1878 to designs by James Hicks, the central chequerboard is made of tiles laid diagonally. This differs materially from the later laminate recorded at Phoenix Hall. The two examples show why a description of a Masonic floor should identify its actual material and date, rather than treating every patterned surface as ancient stone mosaic.<ref>Historic England, [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1482519 “Redruth Masonic Hall”], entry 1482519, history and interior description.</ref><ref name="phoenix" /> | ||
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| + | == The motif on regalia == | ||
| + | The pavement also appears as a small painted image on regalia. An American white-leather apron dated about 1790–1820, acquired by the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, shows columns with a mosaic pavement between them. A banner carries the words “Faith Hope Charity”. The museum discussed this apron in its account of acquisitions published in August 2014.<ref>Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, [https://assets.scottishritenmj.org/prod/images/legacy/TNL-Aug2014.pdf “Adding to the Apron Collection”], ''The Northern Light'', August 2014, pp. 7–9.</ref> | ||
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| + | The painted apron and the Silurian tracing board provide evidence of the pattern circulating on portable objects as well as in the fabric of lodge buildings. They also have separate histories of manufacture and ownership: their dates cannot be inferred simply from the antiquity claimed for the symbols depicted.<ref name="museum" /> | ||
== Interpretation == | == Interpretation == | ||
The Museum of Freemasonry explains the pavement on the Silurian board as representing the good and bad fortune encountered in life.<ref name="museum" /> | The Museum of Freemasonry explains the pavement on the Silurian board as representing the good and bad fortune encountered in life.<ref name="museum" /> | ||
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== See also == | == See also == | ||
Latest revision as of 11:39, 1 October 2026
The chequered pavement is a pattern of contrasting squares found in Masonic interiors and imagery. It can be studied both as a decorative feature and through the interpretations given to it by Masonic writers and museums.[1][2]
Floors and painted objects
At Phoenix Hall in Sunderland, Historic England identifies a twentieth-century chequerboard laminate floor within an eighteenth-century lodge room. The age of the hall therefore does not establish the age or material of its present pavement.[2]
The pattern also appears on a painted tracing board made for Silurian Lodge in Ludlow. That board later belonged to the Lodge of the Marches and was acquired by the Museum of Freemasonry in 2021.[1]
At Redruth Masonic Hall, completed in 1878 to designs by James Hicks, the central chequerboard is made of tiles laid diagonally. This differs materially from the later laminate recorded at Phoenix Hall. The two examples show why a description of a Masonic floor should identify its actual material and date, rather than treating every patterned surface as ancient stone mosaic.[3][2]
The motif on regalia
The pavement also appears as a small painted image on regalia. An American white-leather apron dated about 1790–1820, acquired by the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, shows columns with a mosaic pavement between them. A banner carries the words “Faith Hope Charity”. The museum discussed this apron in its account of acquisitions published in August 2014.[4]
The painted apron and the Silurian tracing board provide evidence of the pattern circulating on portable objects as well as in the fabric of lodge buildings. They also have separate histories of manufacture and ownership: their dates cannot be inferred simply from the antiquity claimed for the symbols depicted.[1]
Interpretation
The Museum of Freemasonry explains the pavement on the Silurian board as representing the good and bad fortune encountered in life.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Museum of Freemasonry, Learn about freemasonry: What are masonic tracing boards?, description of the board made for Silurian Lodge, Ludlow. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Historic England, Phoenix Hall, National Heritage List for England, entry 1279903, “Details: Interior”. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Historic England, “Redruth Masonic Hall”, entry 1482519, history and interior description.
- ↑ Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, “Adding to the Apron Collection”, The Northern Light, August 2014, pp. 7–9.
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