The Freemasons have scrapped plans to open two fine dining restaurants in their city centre lodge in favour of a more “practical” plan to deal with a shrinking membership.
Sussex Masonic Club successfully applied to turn half the Queens Road building into two restaurants in January 2024, with the aim of securing a Michelin star within two years.
The application did not name the chef involved, but the plans for the layout of the restaurant named Greg Clarke as the client.
Michelin-starred chef Greg Clarke opened a Mexican restaurant in Church Street, Hove, in September 2024. It closed six months later and the building is now home to the city’s first Michelin starred restaurant, Mare.
Now, the club has applied to turn half the ground floor into a more generic commercial unit.
Chairman of the Brighton MAsonic Centre Michael Lear said: “We are back in for planning for a better a more practical scheme which we will deliver if approved, hopefully starting works later this year.
“The scheme shows a new shop front which will hopefully help us find a tenant.”
The application, written by Pump House Designs, asks to convert the southern half of the ground floor into commercial use, with four flats above.
“The building is to be split into two separate titles. The southern part to be used as a commercial unit and residential units. To the north will be the remainder of the masonic centre which will be refurbished to a more condensed masonic centre.
“A new shopfront will be installed to the frontage of the commercial unit. This will be conservation style and sit sympathetically within the façade.”
The Masons were previously given permission to convert part of the listed building into offices in 2019, but this was also not progressed.
Yuck, freemasons. I’m glad membership is dwindling, hope it fades out completely.
It will soon by the look of it.
Having been a member for 50 years, I would be very interested to know your reason for your comment
Have they harmed you in someway? Have they harmed somebody that you know?
They they distribute many millions of pounds to charities all across the country and are only 2nd to the national lottery for the size of money that they give out but probably you don’t know about that and probably you don’t even care
Perhaps if your organisation wasn’t shrouded in secrecy, more people would know about that.
They can’t do that. Bunch of overgrown boys.
Why on earth would I share with you the abuse and nastiness I have received and witnessed by a particular group of Masons, one of whom I used to date? Your “brothers” showed me that they care for nobody but themselves and will go to great lengths to protect themselves and each other. What would I have to gain from speaking to you?
What is wrong with people like you? I don’t want to do or be part of something so nobody else should either. What’s it got to do with you? As usual, it’s the people who think they are the ‘good guys’ who seem most intent on telling other people what they should and shouldn’t do. There’s a word for that. I’m no Freemason but defend their right to practice their beliefs and customs. I’d wager they do more for society than those commenting on here. As usual in Brighton, unless you subscribe to the extreme left wing, mentally ill orthodoxies of this city, then you need to be ‘stopped’. Think somebody somewhere once called that ‘fascism…’?
Oh, what an hilarious response based on unfounded opinions, thank you for the chuckle.
I have very real reasons for despising the freemasons. I have had to work alongside them and was in a relationship with one. The most arrogant, sleazy, corrupt men I have ever met.
Incidentally, smooth brain, I didn’t say that nobody should join them. I said I was glad membership was down and hoped they would fade out completely.
I can also guarantee that I have done more for society personally than any of these idiots. There are far better and more worthy organisations out there to fawn over than thee guys. Why don’t you try one of them?
Thank you very much for your comment.
Nature abhors a vacuum, which is why these haters skulls are filled with hatred for something that they know nothing of.
May your God bless you.
the hollow castinations of the half witted
Brilliant that you call others half-witted, and yet don’t seem to know that the word is castigations.
But hey, you’ve tried to stick up for the ‘masons. Maybe they’ll let you join! After all, membership is down.
Times are changing. The world will be a better place with the passing of secret societies.
Upon what do you base that comment, please?
Apart from which Freemasons and Freemasonry is not a secret society, it is a society with its own personal secrets
It is a society which creates friendship and charity far more than other people will know
I have made many excellent friends over the years
Whose friendship I value.
They aren’t even the original guild masons. Rothchild occupied the original guild masons like America also not the original ones.
Faux colonial imperialism
Grahams answer is the standard answer, just fyi.
Freemasonry is not a secret society and it will continue. Just has some surplus real estate.
It’s well known that the freemasons look after there own in favour of ( ordinary) folk with word phrases,,rings that turn over with the freemasons symbols, and handshakes with fingers indicating how high up they are in the society, I have no problem with it as such,but when it comes to the people who are there to protect us ,use it AGAINST,,us then ,that’s not acceptable
Rubbish and drivel!
I have just sent £600 to the London Air Ambulance on behalf of my London Lodge.
Sussex Masonry supports your local Air Ambulance amongst many other charities. How much have you contributed? The answer is irrelevant. Masonry looks after more non masons than masons and has been around for over 300 years. We must be doing something right!
“Remove the stone of shame. Attach the stone of triumph!”
Give back the rosetta stone
I used to live on a council estate in Nottingham, I’m now a freemason. Anyone can be one as long as you are law abiding and believe in a supreme being, there is no class distinction and we do alot for charity, something some people seem to know nothing about .treat people how you want them to treat you.
Which supreme being?
Whichever one you believe in: God, Allah, Buddha, etc. there’s no secular discrimination.
A supreme being, not any one in particular.
I always wondered how this Lodge could fund itself.. because there seemed very few foot traffic going through its doors, for a building of such size and height.It is NOT the charitable part of this ” Society with secrets”, but more the avowed oath taken upon entering the Masons which states you will help and protect a fellow Brother above and before all others…somethi ng which could and has caused a conflict of interest if one happens to be a policeman or in other offices of state which require nom-partiality of judgement…like council planning officers for instance.The Supreme Court judgement that allowed the Metropolitan Police to require all serving officers to declare their membership of Masonry was done for a reason…that thorny issue of conflict of interest and was not adjudged by the Court to be an infringement of their human rights.
Well said. Masons are loyal to their first oath. Any subsequent oaths for Police or other public or political roles get their second best – if not represent a complete conflict of interests.
They’re not even the original guild Mason’s. Rothchild hijacked it along with america.
The original guild was so secret the president of america couldn’t see anything like the building plan’s. The Persian guild were around long before zionist filth hijacked everything because the original guild didn’t use their Banks and certainly didn’t believe in paying interest like rip off theiving Rothchild
Benjamin,
Quoting The Simpsons might raise a smile, but it sidesteps the substance of the discussion. If you’re implying that Freemasonry is something inherently shameful that should be “removed,” that’s a serious claim — and it needs more than a pop-culture reference to support it.
Freemasonry in England operates openly under the umbrella of the United Grand Lodge of England. Lodges are registered, buildings are owned transparently, and charitable giving is publicly reported through the Masonic Charitable Foundation. You may disagree with the organisation philosophically, but it is not an illegal or clandestine body operating outside the law.
The recurring accusation is conflict of interest — particularly in policing or public office. That concern has been examined at the highest levels, including in rulings involving the Metropolitan Police. Disclosure requirements were about transparency, not a judicial finding that Freemasonry is inherently corrupt. The principle was simple: if someone holds public office, affiliations should be declared. That’s about governance standards, not proof of systemic wrongdoing.
The oath argument is also frequently mischaracterised. There is no lawful oath in the UK that overrides statutory duties. A police officer, councillor or judge is bound by law first and foremost. If any individual were to breach their professional obligations in favour of a private association, that would be misconduct — and prosecutable as such. The existence of a fraternal bond does not override UK law.
You’re absolutely entitled to dislike secretive traditions or hierarchical societies. But implying that Freemasonry is uniquely sinister without evidence moves the debate from scrutiny into insinuation. A shrinking membership and a change of property strategy reflects financial and demographic realities — not proof of conspiracy.
If there are specific, evidenced instances of malpractice, those should be examined. But broad suspicion based on symbolism, ritual, or cultural tropes doesn’t amount to a substantive argument.
GPT doesn’t know how to take a joke.