Welcome to our Website

Welcome to the website of the Worcestershire Masonic Library and Museum. Our Library and Museum possesses the finest collection of Masonic items in the English constitution, other than that belonging to the United Grand Lodge of England itself, which is housed at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry, Freemasons Hall, London.

In 2009, the Worcestershire Masonic Library and Museum was awarded Accredited Museum status by the Museum Library and Archives Council (MLA). We were the first Masonic museum in the country to have achieved this level of recognition. In 2013 and following the abolition of the MLA, the Library and Museum was re-accredited by the Arts Council of England.

Library

Our Library is a very well-endowed facility to be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the history of Freemasonry. Our large antiquarian stock includes early editions of nearly every printed exposure of the mid-18th century, without which our knowledge of early English Freemasonry would be far less complete, and five old manuscripts, three of which are among the earliest surviving versions of the Ancient Charges: the Wood, Inigo Jones and Lechmere.

Museum

Our exhibits include a selection of engraved glass, much of it from the 19th century, and almost all of it very attractive to the layman, as well as of interest to the Mason. We also have a very large display of ceramics, including jugs, dishes and tankards, many of which are decorated with Masonic symbols and date from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We have many masonic curiosities, including trivets, horse-brasses, meerschaum pipes, unusual gavels and other such Masonic bric-a-brac. Our curators have assembled a remarkable collection of historic medals and jewels, covering the Craft and Royal Arch, and a very large group of more modern jewels pertaining to Worcestershire Lodges and Chapters. There are several items of antique regalia, including pictorial and hand-painted aprons, some dating from 18th century France, together with a number of unusual items of Lodge furniture.

Visiting

Both Masons and non-Masons of a contemplative, studious or merely curious nature will find an inexhaustible fund of interest in our treasury of Masonic lore and relics. Ladies and gentlemen who are not Masons are particularly welcome to visit, as are parties from non-Masonic bodies. The Library and Museum is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 10.00 am until 12.00 noon, except during the Christmas and New Year period. If you are thinking of visiting us, please click here for more information. We would be delighted to welcome you.

Collections and Views
A View of the Museum
We have a considerable collection of engraved glass, much of it dating from the 19th century, together with a very large display of ceramics, largely dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
A View of the Library
Our large antiquarian stock includes early editions of nearly all the printed exposures of the mid-18th century and five old manuscripts, three of which are amongst the earliest surviving versions of the Ancient Charges.
A View of the Museum
We have a remarkable collection of historic medals and jewels, covering both the Craft and Royal Arch, and a very large group of more modern jewels pertaining to Worcestershire Lodges and Chapters.