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International Conference on the History of Freemasonry (ICHF) |
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The Conference Venue - Freemasons' Hall
Freemasons' Hall is situated in George Street in the centre of Edinburgh's 'New Town' ('new' because it is only 250 years old). George Street runs parallel to Prince's Street and which has been described as being one of the most beautiful streets in the world. It is unusual in that there are buildings only on one side of the street (the north side) the south side leads to Princes' Street Gardens and is dominated by Edinburgh Castle. A map of the city centre is shown below.
Freemasons' Hall is easily accessible by train (Waverley and Haymarket Stations) as well as by a regular airport bus service (No.100). Travelling to the city by car is also relatively easy but city centre car parking is expensive, occasionally difficult to find, and mostly is for short periods only. Please also be aware that some city centre hotels have limited car parking facilities and some have none at all. Further details regarding travel and accommodation will be provided in the second announcement due to be issued mid-September 2008.
We shall supply a page of images of Freemasons' Hall and surrounding area soon
Edinburgh City Centre
↑ north
Edinburgh is a compact city. Waverly Station is a main line railway station and Freemasons' Hall is in easy walking distance three blocks away. The main bus station is to the north of Waverley Station and Freemasons' Hall is in easy walking distance.
The No.100 express bus leaves from directly outside Edinburgh's Turnhouse airport (on the western edge of the city) and comes into the city centre by the most direct route stopping only at a few popular places enroute. The journey terminates at Waverley Bridge just outside Waverley Railway station which is within easy walking distance of Freemasons' Hall. The journey time is approximately 30 minutes from airport to city centre depending, as always, on time of day, traffic density and road works. For details of that particular service click here or on previous links. The fare is £3.00 single ticket or £5.00 for an open (use anytime later) return ticket. From 7.00 am to 12.00 midnight buses depart from the airport every ten minutes. Overnight the buses are less frequent. To get a timetable for the No.100 bus service click here.
There is another bus service, No.35,provided by Lothian Buses which also departs from immediately outside the airport. However, this bus is not direct and 'wanders' through the city stopping at every normal bus stop. This allows people, who know their way around the city, to take the No.35 close to many of the popular hotels, bed & breakfasts and hostels at a cost of £1.10. To obtain a timetable for the No.35 service click here and you will be directed to a page which has a drop-down menu of all the bus services provided by Lothian Buses. Click on the arrow 'Find your bus by service number' and a complete list of the number of all buses will appear, scroll down and click on '35' and a timetable will be displayed.
Alternatively, if you know where you wish to go in the city this page will also display a route map of all buses. To see a plan of the city and the bus routes click on 'Route Map'.
Edinburgh is well served by Lothian Buses which run buses 24 hours a day to all part of the city. Most of the buses pass along either Prince's Street or George Street. To access the Lothian Buses web site with timetables etc. click here or on previous links. Most journeys on Lothian Buses cost £1.10 single and reach most parts of Edinburgh - there are no distance restrictions. If you intend using buses for more than a couple of journeys in one day then a day ticket which allows unlimited travel on the date of purchase is a good buy at £2.50. Should you be staying longer then you might like to think about a one week Ridacard for £13 which allows unlimited day travel and a 50% discount on night buses. Lothian buses operate a 24 hour service which, naturally, is much reduced overnight.
To download a higher resolution map of the city centre (a pdf. file) click here or on the previous link. The file is a wee bit more than one megabyte so if you do not have broadband please be patient.
Links to some travel operators - click on name to go to their site
Please report any problems with this site to the web master -
The Grand Lodge of Scotland was founded in 1736 and initially did not have a permanent home of its own.
Freemasons' Hall was built 1911 - 1912 on the site of a former building which had been erected in 1858 but which 50 years later had become too small for the needs of Grand Lodge.
George Street is one of the premier streets of the city and is famous for its architecture. It is now a street full of designer label shops including Cruise, Gant and The Cashmere Store to name but a few. Many of the banks branches have been converted into delightful eating places and pubs.
Contact details:
Telephone: 0131 225 5577
(ex-UK: 0044 131 225 5577)
Fax: 0131 225 3953
e-mail:
Curator@grandlodgescotland.org
Web site:
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International Conference on the History of Freemasonry - ICHF. |