"We are not a secret society but we do have a secret side."
That is the message from members of a society that is perceived to have a mysterious element to its members and their arcane rights, including their peculiar handshakes.
And now, the world of the Freemasons is opening its doors in a Suffolk town as part of a bid to remove their shroud of secrecy.
However, the Halesworth Freemasons still admit they have a secret side to their activities which could be seen to entice interest in their lodge.
The Lodge of Prudence had opened its doors to the public to show what members get up to.
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But after the open day, the lodge in Market Place was covered in graffiti with the words "scumbags the lot,” “repent, secrecy is a sin” and "no satanic games here".
Now, in a further effort to show how the Masons work and support good causes, this paper was invited in to tour their headquarters.
Peter Jacks, Worshipful Master of the Lodge, has been a Mason for 11 years.
He said: "We are a charitable organisation.
"We make donations and help out as many local charities as we possibly can.
"In doing so we have our rituals, what we go through, and our meetings, which we don't publicise because that is the secret side of what we do to entice people in to keep them interested."
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Jon Berry, Immediate Past Master, said: "Masonry is one of the biggest givers to charity in the world".
"Most of the air ambulances in the country would not be running without the donations that are received from the Masons.
"The less you know, the more enjoyable it'll be. It is like watching a film and you don't know the punchline."
Freemasonry origins go back to traditions of medieval stonemasons and the Grand Lodge of England was formed in 1717.
The Lodge of Prudence is Lodge number 388, and was warranted in 1827.
The lodge initially met in The Three Tuns, a pub in the Market Place in Halesworth, which is now home to Black Dog Antiques.
It briefly moved to The Kings Arms in Halesworth thoroughfare, before returning to The Three Tuns, and is now in the building above the Market Place Artisan Store.
Explaining their ethos, Steve Daine, secretary of the lodge, said: "It is really to give people the ability to communicate and be better members of society"
"We are not a religious organisation. We don't discuss religion or politics."
When you join the Lodge you start as an entered apprentice, before becoming a fellow craft, and then a master Mason.
"For everybody, it's their own journey through Masonry," Mr Berry said.
The Lodge also maintains a social side which includes curry nights and quiz nights.
The Lodge has 44 members at the moment but Mr Daine said there has been a fall in membership since Covid.
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However, after the recent vandalism to the lodge, he said: "We have got seven people interested in wanting to join".
Mr Jacks said: "It actually did us a big favour because people in Halesworth really didn’t understand that we were here. Now people know we’re here and have shown an interest."
He believed the vandalism was a "misunderstanding of who we are and what we are”.
Mr Berry said: "If anyone wanted to join Freemasonry, we would be happy to accept them and show them what we are all about."
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