General description and date of structure.
The origin of these premises, comprising the two easternmost of the four houses built in 1743 on the site of Conway House, has already been described.[[412]] In 1889 the houses, which had for many years been used for the purposes of Bacon’s Hotel, were occupied by the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons. The exterior and most of the interior has been rebuilt or modernised, with the exception of the two rooms on the first floor facing Great Queen Street, which appear to date from the rebuilding in 1743. The Board Room, to the east, has a fine carved deal mantelpiece and overmantel (Plate 29). The mantelpiece has a carved head, representing Bacchus in the frieze and scrolls at the sides. The overmantel takes the form of a picture with a carved frame and bold broken pediment over; the tympanum is filled with a finely carved basket containing flowers and fruit. The other feature of the room is a decorative ceiling (Plate 30), having a large central medallion representing children.
The Grand Secretary’s room has also a decorative plaster ceiling (Plate 31), with four oval medallions containing trees and flowers. The chimneypiece is a modern replica in wood and plaster of the one already mentioned.