Читать книгу Unlocking the Masonic Code: The Secrets of the Solomon Key - Ian Gittins - Страница 21

By the early eighteenth century, Freemasonry had become so informal that most lodges met only sporadically, at a public house convenient for its members. The four most significant lodges in London regularly convened at four separate alehouses: the Goose & Gridiron, next to the recently-completed St Paul’s Cathedral; the Crown, in Parkers Lane near to Drury Lane; the Apple Tree tavern, in Charles Street on the fringes of Covent Garden’s fruit market; and the Rummer & Grapes, close by the Palace of Westminster. None of these hostelries survive today.

In February 1717, senior figures from these four lodges gathered at the Apple Tree tavern for crisis talks. Sensing that Freemasonry was at a crossroads, these elders decided to put in place a coherent structure that would unify the entire movement. They also resolved to reintroduce