
Centre of Heritage
As readers may already have noticed, I’m as keen on heritage places as I am about community groups and indie retailers. I think combining these are what makes a place vibrant.
The history of a place and its buildings are a great resource for understanding the local area and so feeling a part of it. The history of the people too – and these are of course intertwined, not least when it comes to family history and the history of organisations.
During Heritage Open Days (HODs), I, like many others, particularly enjoy visiting places that aren’t normally open. One of these is the Wisbech Masonic Centre, on the Crescent, which started out as a Wesleyan Chapel. It was built in 1803 by Joseph Medworth, as part of the Castle estate (his is a whole other story!) It’s the building with black doors, as seen in the photograph.
The original Grade II listed chapel building is still complete, and parts are still visible, including the original gallery that was in use when it was a chapel, although a false ceiling has been added to allow the main room to be used more effectively. It has a lovely feeling to it as while its use has changed it is obviously a respected and well-used building just as all the heritage places in the town should be. The history of Masons in Wisbech is as absorbing as the history of places like the General Cemetery and the Museum, where local names – still with us today – are listed amongst those investing time, funds and effort to give the town a resource, or donate to local causes.
The building was purchased by the Wisbech Masonic Benevolent Fund in 1970 and they held their first meeting there in 1972. Before that, since 1860, they met in various public houses (in the original sense of the name), including the Rose and Crown, the Spread Eagle and the Red Lion.
The main room is used for meetings and the beautifully carved furniture, the carpet and the Masonic emblems are mostly specially made, and there’s panels with names of previous and current members. Interestingly though, the majority of the chairs were actually from the Hippodrome Theatre. Which brings me nicely back to Heritage Open Days as that building was owned by Norman Jacobs who also ran the Corn Exchange which is opening this year for the first time in many years.
Masonic Centre: 8th and 9th September, 10am-3pm
Corn Exchange: 15th and 16th September, 10-4pm for tours – booking available now
Look out for the paper map of places open for HODs, produced with the Wisbech Society, available across town late August.