Those old stone masons could not have imagined what they were starting four or more centuries ago; they met in rude and dusty huts close to the college, cathedral or cloister at which their particular skills were needed.
    The ‘lodges’, precursors to the portacabin, were probably despatched to the bonfire once the masons had earned honest maintenance; but within them were established codes of conduct and a sign language that were the foundation stones of the ethical movement that was to become Freemasonry. The aprons and tools of their trade had not yet achieved symbolic status but they became potent symbols to men from all walks of life vowing temperance, munificence, prudence and all the other worthy ideals of the brotherhood.
    The worldwide movement they inspired now numbers some 320,000 in England and Wales alone, assembling in some 8000 lodges, each with its own set of regalia, at hotels, village halls and purpose-built masonic halls, of which there are perhaps 700. Our heritage and mortmain of halls offers all shapes and sizes; and most are home to many lodges. One passes them in the high street without a second glance; the architecture can be simple, or it can look like a mutation of a Methodist chapel and Odeon cinema.
    The golden age of masonic building seems to have been reached in the late 19th century. The halls are often outward expressions of confidence and many are listed as of architectural importance, but like any other building they are vulnerable to fire, vandalism and the ravages of time. In many cases the skills needed to rebuild them are either lost or at least hard to find; insuring them for a total rebuild can therefore put quite a strain on the piggy bank.
    As an ‘orbiter dictum’, many were astonished to discover that most of our great houses (Windsor Castle for example) are not properly insured, the powers that be preferring to spend the money on sophisticated fire and security systems. Some are simply uninsurable.
    Enter Rex Ingram, member of a Worcestershire lodge, who was asked to arrange insurance for two buildings and the contents, including lodge regalia, but found the existing premiums hard to better. “I decided to investigate the possibility of a national scheme with a major insurer that would provide cover, an economical premium and a simple administrative procedure,” Rex recalls. “Asking a major insurer to provide something unique initially produced alarm and reluctance; but after a visit to General Accident’s HQ in Scotland, I was able to finalise a policy that has produced a saving of about 30 per cent on premiums. The policy gives automatic cover for the contents of each and every lodge, up to a maximum loss of £20,000.”
    Rex’s company, Ingram, Hawkins & Nock, launched the new scheme in March 1996 and since then reckons to have saved Masonry more than £250,000 in premiums; furthermore, provincial centres have received more than £10,000 in no-claim rebates. Rex wanted a policy that would draw compliments rather than criticism; simplicity is the watchword of his scheme and claims up to £1000 are dealt with by his company; with higher claims a dedicated firm of loss adjusters springs into action and turns round the agreed figure within seven days.
    Down in Cornwall, Clive Rosevear reckons his Masonic Insurance premiums can save Hall Secretaries up to 50 per cent on their premiums; his scheme operates through Hibernian Insurance UK Ltd. “Building costs vary widely from area to area, largely because of labour; and there are all manner of style and size of halls across the country,” says Clive. “The rebuild costs of masonic halls could be as low as £85,000, in the case of a small hall near Liskeard, or as high as £40m, in the case of Grand Lodge in London. However, the claims record of masonic halls is so good that they are deemed a very low risk; many have all-night security staff and sophisticated fire and security alarms.” All the policies include contents such as regalia, banners, furniture and, of course, such things as the wine cellar.
    Another aspect of Freemasonry which keeps premiums to a minimum is the DIY resourcefulness of the masons themselves; on the rare occasion that there is a mishap there is seldom a shortage of skills from within the ranks of the lodge itself, so minor damage is rectified without recourse to insurance.
    The only surprising thing about this new era of common sense insurance is that no one thought of doing it years ago.

David Hoppit, was for 10 years the property correspondent of The Daily Telegraph; he is now a freelance writer and editor of a number of magazines, and is founder of the Premier Property Network, on the Internet.