It is a measure of the misunderstanding and misinformation that still swirls around Freemasonry that many people assume only men process in its symbolic regalia, feast in its grand halls, and are let into its secrets. In fact, women have a long history of involvement with Masonry, and this year marks the centenary of the constitution of The Order of Women Freemasons, the first Grand Lodge in England to admit men and women as members on an equal basis. To celebrate this anniversary, the spectacular Art Deco Freemasons’ Hall – the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England – has unveiled a new exhibition which traces the history of women and Freemasonry, and collects together pictures, texts and artefacts which lend an insight into the campaign for membership for women, and places it in the context of the wider struggle for equal rights at the time.

Although the governing body of English Freemasonry, formed in 1717, ruled against having female (or ‘immoral or scandalous’ male) members, they were invited as guests to certain Masonic events, and by the end of the next century lodges were holding regular Ladies' Nights.