Freemasons’ Hall

Behind London’s doors

/ mikeosbornphoto / 9 Comments

It was Open House London weekend recently, giving ordinary people the chance to see buildings that are not usually accessible. This also meant freedom to photograph some of the city’s hidden architectural gems.

We visited five central London buildings – Unilever House, an older shell containing a very modern atrium, the Art Deco brilliance of the former Express Building at 120 Fleet Street, The Royal Courts of Justice, the imposing Freemasons’ Hall and the grandeur of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office headquarters in Whitehall.

Click on the first image to launch the full size gallery

Layers of secrecy

/ mikeosbornphoto / 5 Comments

This photograph makes me feel uneasy. It reflects the feeling of unease experienced when I took it. The numerous partitions are not even saved by the warming sunlight hitting the floor beyond.

The shot was taken in the Freemasons’ Hall, an imposing and grand building near London’s Covent Garden. It is a principal meeting place for the Freemasons, popularly conceived as a shadowy and secretive order which remains tight-lipped about its rituals.

The place in the photo acts as a changing room for members of the order, and I felt the need to shoot and run. Something made me feel as though I shouldn’t be there.

However, the hall invited the public through its doors as part of the annual Open House London weekend, when you can poke your nose around numerous buildings which are usually off limits – and photography is wholly encouraged. In upcoming posts I’ll share images and thoughts from the buildings that we had a look around.