At the suggestion of the Master, a group of over 30 Tylers and Bricklayers and friends joined Alan Hudson, a member of the Magic Circle, for an hour of magic, mystery and amazement via zoom.

And what a show it was! Alan Hudson is a most engaging entertainer, and chose Company members at random on the zoom call to involve them in his demonstrations. Mind reading was a particular theme, and many of the happenings in the show were completely inexplicable.

From divining a word chosen at random from Wikipedia, to seeing a specific playing card being found reversed in the pack, the audience was spellbound from beginning to end. Alan showed his close-up dexterity with playing cards, thimbles and other items. He was even able to turn plain paper into money – something we were all rather envious of!

The finale was completely amazing. From an envelope which had been in plain view throughout the entire show, Alan produced a piece of paper with three predictions, all of which had been fulfilled during the evening.

The evening was rounded off by an invitation to take wine with the Master, on this occasion sadly from our personal stores rather than the Company's own excellent cellar.

It was a most enjoyable evening, and of course we look forward to being able to meet again in person as soon as safety and government regulations allow.

Prof John Schofield, 19 November 2020