How to borrow

We loan to lots of different museums, galleries, libraries and archives in the UK and worldwide. However, we don’t loan to private individuals.

Our Loans Out Policy has more information on how we manage loans from the collection.

We lend items from our museum, library and archive collections. You can usually borrow up to ten items at a time but we may lend more in special circumstances. Loans from our collection are always for a set period. This is usually short term, for a minimum of two months and a maximum of nine, depending on the items being asked for. We’ll consider long-term loans and touring exhibitions, but we’ll need to check that the items and the proposed venue are suitable.

You’ll need to do your research before requesting a loan from us. Check our online catalogue for details of our collections.

If you’re thinking of requesting a loan, email us as early as you can for an informal chat.

If you want to borrow a lot of items or you’re from overseas, you’ll need to email us as early as possible to discuss things before sending in a formal request.

• title of the exhibition / display

• exhibition / display venue(s) and opening and closing dates

• name and full contact details of the organiser

• a general outline of the exhibition

• list of item(s) requested with reference numbers

• reason for inclusion of the items in the exhibition / display

• confirmation that you'll meet all direct costs arising from the loan, which may include conservation, mounting / framing, packing, transport, insurance and couriering

UK loan requests should be made by formal letter at least six months in advance of the exhibition opening date. For loan requests of more than ten items, we’ll need at least nine months’ notice in advance of your exhibition opening date. For International loans you’ll need to contact us at least a year in advance of the exhibition opening date.

Requests should be addressed to:

Museum of Freemasonry
Freemasons’ Hall
60 Great Queen Street
London
WC2B 5AZ

Formal letters should be posted to the address above, or emailed to us for the attention of the Collections Manager and Registrar,

A loan request will be reviewed and a decision will be made based upon advice from the Collections Team.

We'll consider:

 Relevance of the requested object(s) to the exhibition/display

 Item(s) availability for the period of loan request

 Item(s) suitability for travel and display

 Administrative and technical work involved, in the context of the Museum's existing programme of activity

You should get a response within one month of the request being submitted.

Before the loan agreement is signed, you’ll be asked to complete Standard Facilities Reports, which will provide essential information about your venue, access, security, environmental and display conditions. These reports should be the UK Registrars' Group Facilities Reports.

If items have specific security, environmental and mounting needs, these will be provided by us once the loan has been approved. We’ll also discuss photography requirements.

We expect you to cover all direct costs connected with the loan, such as:

 Transportation to and from your venue

 Crating and packing materials

 ‘All risks’ nail-to-nail insurance cover

 Conservation work completed by external contractors for items that need specialist assessment and treatment. If this is needed, the cost of the initial condition assessment and any additional conservation work will be met by you

 Condition photography where necessary

All costs will be communicated to you for approval before any work is carried out.