Pride and prejudice

STURDY and solid, built of stone with the air of a chapel but the arms of a builder, nearly every town in County Durham is looked down upon by a Masonic temple. But despite the ubiquity of the masonry of the masons, very few know what goes on behind the symbols of the compasses and the set square.

So imaginations run riot, conjuring up images of grown men in pinnies prancing around in secret ceremonies with rolled-up trouser legs and curious handshakes.

“I’m very keen to get rid of these stupid stigmas,”

says Eric Heaviside, the new Provincial Grand Master of Durham. “I have a little saying: I have never known ignorance have so much power.”

Mr Heaviside – or the Right Worshipful Brother to give him his full title – is a former Consett steelworker. He’s full of little sayings, but once he’s called something a spade, it remains called a spade.

“We have private modes of recognition that we use within the lodge room,” he says. “It is no more than that, and I would be keen they remain private because they shouldn’t be brandished around so people can misuse it.

“In terms of dressing up, where better to look than Parliament, at Black Rod or the Speaker – that’s tradition, and that’s the way we are.”

There’s a weariness verging on exasperation to his replies. He’s been a mason for nearly 50 years, and he’s clearly heard these questions and prejudices before.

“All this about favouritism when people apply for jobs, it’s rubbish,” he continues. “We have had bad apples, but one of the ethics of freemasonry is that you live a good life, are upstanding in society. There’s a saying: we make good men better, but we don’t make good men because they are good men to start with.”

He’s politely impatient to move the conversation on to his organisation’s charitable purpose.

“The private modes are a bond for likeminded people, but they’re just one per cent of our total operation. We want to be serving the community in any way we can. That’s what we are about. For example, we’ve given a grant of £20,000 to the North Air Ambulance in the past year which helps everyone.”

The Durham Masons are holding a family gala day at Raby Castle today, which they hope will raise £50,000 towards their “festival” target of £3m by next June – already £2.3m has been raised.

There are 7,500 Masons in the land between the Tyne and the Tees working towards the target, making Durham the fifth largest province in the country. They are divided into 195 lodges – or branches – and meet in 39 Masonic halls which can be found looking down on practically every town.

But, like village pubs, corner stores, Third Division football clubs and even local newspapers, the Masons are struggling to find a future in the internet age. Less than 20 years ago, there were twice as many Masons – 15,000 – in Durham as there are today.

“One of the things that concerns me is that then we had 42 Masonic halls and now we have 39,” says Mr Heaviside, who was instrumental in getting an old Sunderland Masonic Hall rebuilt in Beamish Museum. “That’s a nonsense.

We’ve got to reduce that, perhaps to 15 across the province, make them better places, in good states of repair, and economically viable. But you can take a horse to water...

“In Weardale, most of the halls have two or three lodges, and everyone agrees they should all be under one roof – as long as it is under their roof. They are burying their heads in the sand.”

But, as well as rationalising the county’s assets, the new Provincial Grand Master wants to reach out to younger recruits.

“I don’t want to destroy our traditions. I’m more for opening up our future,” he says.

He reflects on how he became a Mason, aged 20, in Blackhill, where his father was master of a lodge. “It was always the ambition of masons to put their sons through – the son of a Mason is a lewis, a young apprentice,” he says.

“So I joined, probably because my father wanted me to.

“In his day, the man of the house had two options of what to do in his spare time: join the Masons or a working men’s club. It was the in thing for the man to go out and the woman to stay in and look after the kids, doing the washing and the darning. How society has changed, and that’s something we’ve got to address to attract new members.

“People are nowadays getting in from work at eight or nine at night, and the last thing the family wants is for dad to disappear to the lodge.” But, all-male Freemasonry is not familyfriendly.

Even Mr Heaviside’s biography admits as much, as it says Sue, his wife of 40 years, has been extremely supportive of his activities “despite the many nights she has had to spend enjoying her own company”.

To many Masons, the lure of the lodge, the call of the ceremony and the company of friends is almost an addiction. Mr Heaviside, who now lives in Kirklevington as he was switched to Teesside when the steel industry finished with Consett, tells another story which shows his dedication.

“I was made master of my Benfeldsyde lodge in 1973, the year Sunderland won the FA Cup.

I was a season-ticket holder at Roker Park and went all over with them. The semi-final was the first Saturday in April, the day of my installation as the worshipful master, so I couldn’t go.

The final was the first Saturday in May, and I couldn’t leave my lodge on my first night as master, so I couldn’t go.

“I always said I would never go to Wembley if it wasn’t with Sunderland, so I eventually got there in 1985 for the Milk Cup final. And we got hammered by Norwich.”

While recruiting new members and raising money, the new Provincial Grand Master does not want to overlook the main motivation for being a Mason.

“When I end my talks, I say: ‘Thanks for your attention. I want to see everybody actively getting involved, and helping those less fortunate than ourselves. So continue to enjoy your freemasonry. It’s not meant as penance or punishment.

It’s there to be enjoyed’.”

■ The Raby Gala opens at 10.30am today, and runs through to an evening concert. Entry is £10 per car and all are invited. Darlington masons are organising a James Bond-themed casino evening on July 25. Tickets cost £30, or £55 for a couple. Email jb007night@yahoo.co.uk for further details.