Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FREEMASONS' HALL
60 Great Queen St Covent Garden 020 7395 9257, www.freemasonry.london.museum . Mon-Fri
10am-5pm.Free. MAP
It's difficult to miss the austere, Pharaonic mass of the Freemasons' Hall, built as a memori-
al to all the masons who died in World War I. The interior is worth a peek for the Grand
Temple alone, whose pompous, bombastic decor is laden with heavy symbolism. To see it,
you must sign up for one of the free guided tours (Mon-Fri 11am, noon, 2, 3 & 4pm) and
bring ID. Take a look at the shop, too, which sells masonic merchandise - aprons, wands,
rings and books about alchemy and the cabbala - as do several other shops on Great Queen
Street.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HOUSE
36 Craven St Charing Cross 020 7925 1405, www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org .Mon & Wed-Sun
noon-5pm.£7. MAP
From 1757 to 1775, Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) lived in London espousing the cause of
the British colonies (of which the US was then one), before returning to America to help
draft the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Wisely, the curators have
left Franklin's house pretty much empty, eschewing any attempt to install period furniture.
Instead, aided by a costumed guide and a series of impressionistic audiovisuals, visitors are
transported back to the time of Franklin, who lived here with his “housekeeper” in cosy do-
mesticity while his wife and daughter languished in Philadelphia. Note that visits are by
guided tour only and should be booked in advance.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT
Temple or Embankment. MAP
Built between 1868 and 1874, the Victoria Embankment was the inspiration of civil engin-
eer Joseph Bazalgette , whose project simultaneously relieved congestion along the Strand,
provided an extension to the underground railway and sewage systems, and created a new
stretch of parkland, now dotted with statues and memorials, and a riverside walk - no longer
much fun due to the volume of traffic that barrels along it, though it does afford some good
views over the river.
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