Freemasons’ Hall · 60 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5AZ · Free entry, open daily
If you’re planning a day around Covent Garden and want something that isn’t another gift shop or coffee queue, Freemasons’ Hall is one of London’s most striking hidden-in-plain-sight buildings — and one of the few genuinely free, no-booking-needed things to do in the area.
What it actually is
Freemasons’ Hall is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and has been a home for Freemasonry on this site since 1775. The current building — completed in 1933 as a war memorial to the more than 3,000 Freemasons who died in the First World War — is a Grade II* listed Art Deco masterpiece, and it’s genuinely one of the most dramatic interiors in central London that most visitors walk straight past.
What you can see
- The Grand Temple: a soaring, mosaic-ceilinged ceremonial hall that seats over 1,700 and is regularly used as a film location — it’s appeared in Spectre, V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes, and Bridgerton, among others.
- The Museum of Freemasonry: free to enter, tracing the history and symbolism of Freemasonry with regalia, ceremonial objects, and rotating exhibitions.
- Guided tours: free walk-in tours of the building run regularly throughout the week (no need to be a Freemason, or know one, to join).
Good to know before you go
Entry to the museum and building tours is free. It’s a short walk from Covent Garden or Holborn tube stations, making it easy to fold into a day that also takes in the London Transport Museum or Covent Garden Piazza. Check the Hall’s current opening hours before visiting, as parts of the building close for private Masonic events on certain days.
Photo: Beata May, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.