STOURBRIDGE Freemasons will be lifting the lid on their lodge for second year running as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme.

The national heritage scheme aims to give people chance to have a peek inside historic buildings that are not normally open to the general public.

Last year - for what was believed to be the first time in its history - Stourbridge Masonic Management Co opened the doors to its lodge based at The Talbot Hotel where Masons have been meeting for centuries - and they're getting set to repeat the feat this Saturday September 12 between 10am and 4pm.

Their involvement in the scheme is part of a bid to encourage new membership and to bring Freemasonry out into the open, Alan Payne - chairman of Stourbridge Masonic Management Co told the News.

He said: "We're opening up now but during the war Hitler was killing Freemasons; he said it was a Jewish conspiracy and, of course, Churchill was a Freemason - so we went underground. It's only just lately that we're opening up. It's a good way of life - you're doing something for the community, which is what we're all about."

He said the group gives more money to charity than any other organisation in the UK apart from the National Lottery and said some of the local causes to have benefitted from member donations and fundraising have included Mary Stevens Hospice and the Scout Movement.

Ken Hingley, secretary of the management committee, said: "The majority of the money is raised by Freemasons themselves."

He said last year's opening of the Masonic Hall brought in a number of new members and attracted people keen to find out more about joining the Freemasons who have been meeting at The Talbot since 1733.

Believed to be one of the oldest in the country, the Masonic Hall has been in its present location within the hotel since the 1930s and it is used for meetings by a number of lodges from Stourbridge and the surrounding areas. Previously the Freemasons used to hold their meetings in the Windsor Room which overlooks the High Street.

Freemasonry, which dates back to 1717, exists to promote good moral behaviour towards fellow members and wider society in general and the organisation is open to men of any faith, creed or political affiliations aged over 21 with no criminal convictions.

Lodges typically comprise members from an array of backgrounds from factory workers office workers to butchers and bankers.

The only membership requirement is that a person must profess a belief in a Supreme Being "but who that supreme being might be is up to the individual" said Mr Payne, who has been a member for 40 years.

There's also a thriving Lady Masons section within the fraternal organisation, which is believed to trace its roots back to the travelling stone masons of the Middle Ages.

Mr Payne said it is this history that led to the formation of the much-joked about handshakes, passwords and signs used by Freemasons.

He told the News: "Stone masons came from all over Europe to build cathedrals and they had to have ways of recognising each other; we think this is where the signs came from and we've carried it on so we could recognise fellow masons."

Mr Hingley added: "They couldn't carry papers so they had to create signs to show what level of experience they had - which they were able to communicate wherever they went."

Anyone unable to attend the open event and wishing to find out more about Freemasonry can visit website http://www.ugle.org.uk/

Stourbridge's Quaker Meeting House in Scotts Road will also be opening its doors as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme.

The historic Grade II listed building has been a place of worship since it was built in 1689 after the Crowley family of Stourbridge ironmasters gave the land to the Quakers.

It will be open to the public from 11.15am to 3pm on Saturday September 12 and Sunday September 13.

Refreshments will be available and guides will be on hand to show visitors around the building which retains its original structure, fittings and 17th century books - and which is the oldest in the town centre area that is still used for its original purpose.

There will also be an exhibition 'Quaker Work in the Wider World' showcasing some of the on projects which members are involved with in Palestine/Israel and Uganda.

To find out more about Heritage Open Days events go to http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/