Man at the Top W Bro Tony Shepherd PJGD, PASoj Metropolitan Grand Inspector
In conversation with W Bro Simon Bennett SLGR, LGCR MetGInsp I was born in the City of London Maternity Hospital, Islington, in December 1962, coming from a long line of Londoners, spanning over two centuries, of men and women who were born, married and died within a couple of miles radius of where I […]
Triple the fun at Imperial Cadet Lodge No 3824
Report by W Bro Paul King, Metropolitan Grand Charity Steward At the Annual General Meeting of Metropolitan Grand Lodge on 1st March 2023, the Metropolitan Grand Master, RW Bro Sir Michael Snyder, announced the London Freemasons' 2023 Appeal. Bros Terry Goldsmith, Ian Dibbens and Vinay Malhotra with their Proposers and the Worshipful Master and […]
Tall Ships Youth Trust: transforming lives at sea
W Bro Richard Cavanagh reports In 2022, the London Freemasons’ Charity provided a grant of £5,000 to enable 20 disadvantaged young people from London to participate in a Tall Ships Youth Trust voyage. Formed in 1956, Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT)is the UK's oldest and largest youth development sail training charity, offering transformational […]
Arena 51 Print Edition
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One of Britain’s finest jazz drummers receives his 50th
Tony Kinsey, one of Britain's finest jazz drummers, received his 50 year Long Service Certificate from the Lodge and Chapter of Asaph 1319 on 3rd April 2023. Tony was born Cyril Anthony Kinsey on 11 October 1927 in Sutton Coldfield. In his easrly life he worked on various trans-Atlantic ships and during his various visits to New […]
The London Freemasons support London’s Air Ambulance Charity’s fundraising campaign with pledge of £3 million
The London Freemasons support London’s Air Ambulance Charity’s fundraising campaign with pledge of £3 million The London Freemasons have committed to raising £3 million for London’s Air Ambulance Charity. The charity is in the midst of its largest ever appeal, “Up Against Time”, to raise £15 million by Autumn 2024 to replace its helicopter fleet. […]
FOREWORD RW Bro Christopher M Hayward PJGW, Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master
Video by Ian Bozic. As I write this foreword for Arena, change is all around us. We are mourning the death of our late Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth, whilst pledging our allegiance to our new King, Charles. We have a new Prime Minister and, for us Freemasons, a new Pro Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master […]
EDITORIAL W Bro Seb Giroux
Dear Arena readers, You may have spotted that Arena has come out a little later than usual. This comes among some of the changes we are bringing forward. We have re-aligned the four annual editions to better report on key Metropolitan events such as the LGR investiture and the Lord Mayor’s Show. We […]
Standing on the shoulders of a giant
I’d met Matthew earlier this year at a Festive Board and felt I’d made a new friend – it felt like we’d covered every topic under the sun. It was a real pleasure to pick up our conversation again a couple of weeks after he was appointed to his new role and see how he […]
London Grand Rank and London Rank Investiture
W.Bro. Trevor Koschalka PAGDC reports Wednesday 2nd November saw the annual investiture of brethren who had been awarded London Grand Rank and London Rank. Around two hundred brethren were invested in a morning and afternoon session. The magnificent Grand Temple was the setting for this colourful ceremony, with those to be invested proudly […]
London Craft Digest Autumn 2022
Here’s what some of London Lodges and London Freemasons have been doing in the last few months, whether in the temples or through their life. On 8th September, at 4 PM, Metropolitan Lodge No 1507 was joined by a delegation from METGL who presented the Talking Heads playlet, The Next Step into The […]
Double Celebrations for Kennington Lodge No. 1381
Report by W Bro Michael Duque LGR Consecrated in 1872 in Kennington Oval, London, Kennington Lodge No 1381 was born from the masonic passions of Cricket players at the Surrey Cricket Club in 1872. The Lodge, however, was almost erased from the Register of Lodges of the United Grand Lodge of England in 2016. […]