How Freemasonry became a pillar of popular culture

You don't need to join your local lodge in order to spot the signs

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There are few institutions that have inspired as much cinematic whispering, literary decoding, and architectural squinting as Freemasonry

For something that prides itself on discretion, it's done a rather poor job of staying out of the spotlight. But then, subtlety has never stopped Hollywood.

According to the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), more than 50 films have been inspired by Masonic symbols, themes or secret handshakes. That's right - the influence of the brotherhood is writ large in everything from National Treasure to Doctor Strange. You thought it was about superheroes or treasure maps? Wrong. It was always about the square and compasses.

Of course, Freemasonry has long been a sort of cultural Rorschach test - either a noble brotherhood bound by moral codes and Sunday suits, or a Da Vinci-coded enigma hoarding ancient secrets and dodgy wallpaper.

And Hollywood, naturally, chose the latter.