Wisdom, Strength and Beauty from Haddonstone at Tatton Park

Haddonstone forms an essential part of a garden designed to dispel the myths about Freemasonry at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in July.

Haddonstone will be providing all the hard landscaping for ‘On the Square’ by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire Freemasons, the oldest Masonic Province in England.

Three Haddonstone columns with Corinthian, Doric and Ionic capitals will represent wisdom, strength and beauty. The company’s AquaSource cascading fountain will symbolise a fall of water, while a Queen Anne Pedestal at the centre of the garden will hold the Volume of Sacred Law (the Bible), a Square and Compasses. Finally, two Belton Troughs offer the opportunity for formal planting within the garden.

The Chairman of the Province’s Special Projects Group, Harry Wright, said that the garden aims to inform people about the Freemasons’ work in the community. “People think we are a secret society but we want to tell people about what we do. Many people don’t realise that nationally we make the second biggest contribution to charity, after the National Lottery”.

Each feature symbolises a different part of Masonic history and ceremony. As well as the columns, fountain, pedestal and planters, a chequered design created using Portland and Slate coloured Haddonstone flooring will represent the black and white floor which is typically found in a Masonic lodge. The contrasting colours symbolise opposing themes and emotions experienced through life including happiness and despair, and good and evil.

Harry Wright said: “Our garden designer Peter Kinder knew that Haddonstone made columns, but he later realised that we could source all the stonework from the company.”

Remaining faithful to their charitable aims, the Freemasons will rebuild the garden within the grounds of the East Cheshire Hospice in Macclesfield after the show.

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Notes to editors:

Haddonstone is the UK’s leading manufacturer of cast stone garden ornaments, with an extensive range of designs including planters, statuary, fountains and furniture in traditional, classical and contemporary styles.

Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest secular fraternal societies. In England there are 330,000 members meeting in over 8,600 lodges around the country.

The show takes place at Tatton Park, near Knutsford, Cheshire between 23 – 27 July 2008, with a press day on 22 July. ‘On the Square’ is one of the ‘Back to back’ gardens and will be found on stand B53.

Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire Freemasons: http://www.cheshiremasons.co.uk/

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Kate Orage, Public Relations Officer
01604 772037
kateo@haddonstone.co.uk

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Haddonstone Ltd,
The Forge House,
East Haddon,
Northampton
NN6 8DB

01604 770711 fax: 01604 770027