History
In early 1968 a number of Brethren living in the Belvedere area of Kent came together to formulate a desire to form a new local Lodge in the Province of Kent, using the Craft Guide as its ritual. The process was initiated by notification to the Provincial Grand Secretary on 17th July 1968. Following the necessary consultations with the Province a petition was submitted to Grand Lodge in early 1969. The new Lodge was to be called Thamesmead Lodge, to meet at Westwood Masonic Centre in Welling on the third Tuesday in January, March, May, September and November.
The signatories, i.e Founders
W.Bro. A.V. Stephens Bro. A.E. Jacklin
W.Bro A.F. Browne Bro. L Davis
W.Bro. W. Barman Bro. F.S. Small
W.Bro. F.R. Rollison Bro. N. Smith
W.Bro. B.C. Austin Bro A.W. Harris
Bro. D.G Johnson Bro. J.W. Clarke
Bro. C.A. Powley Bro. A.V. Paine
Bro. J. Shorter Bro. A.J. Brigden
The sponsoring [Mother] Lodge was Westwood Lodge No.8046. The petition was granted, and the Warrant issued on 11th December 1968, assigning the number 8269 to the Lodge.
On 18th February 1969 Thamesmead Lodge was consecrated at the Masonic Hall, Cromwell Avenue, Bromley by the Provincial Grand Master of Kent, RW Brother the Right Honourable the Lord Cornwallis KCVO, KBE, MC.
Why Thamesmead?
The Thamesmead area of South East London was being developed when the Founders were getting together to form their Lodge. They thought it highly appropriate to name the Lodge Thamesmead so that both the Lodge and the area would be created and flourish in tandem.
Thamesmead Lodge hit the ground running! On 18th March 1969 the Lodge held its first regular meeting at Westwood Masonic Centre in Welling, its permanent home. Some 12 Brethren immediately became joining [original] members.
Bro. A.E. Moore Bro. S.M. Turrell
W.Bro H.B. Harris Bro. J. Rainford
Bro. J. Moulder Bro. J.H Wilkinson
Bro. C. Oakin Bro. J.B. Jenkinson
Bro. L.F. Chipperfield W.Bro G.L. Lee
Bro. K.J. Miles Bro. D.A Pearson
W.Bro. Henry Harris was invited by the WM to act as IPM, there not being one at this stage. At this same meeting The Lodge’s first two candidates, Mr. Robert Holloway and Mr. John Swaisland-Dyke, were initiated into Freemasonry. A regular visitor to the Lodge from this point on was W Bro. Donald Hind. Initially a guest of ‘Jack’ Jacklin he became a permanent guest of the Lodge from 1970 onwards.
An interesting item of note is that, this being the pre-digital age, apologies for absence from the meeting had been sent by telegram!
The second regular meeting on 20th May saw Bros. Holloway and Swaisland-Dyke passed to the degree of Fellow Craft, the ceremony being performed by W Bro. Harris. At the same meeting Mr. Arthur Edwards and Mr. Henry Bishop were initiated with W Bro. Barman officiating. A double first and a double second at one meeting. Those were the days!
The September 1969 meeting saw Bros. Holloway and Swaisland-Dyke raised, the first ‘native’ Master Masons of the Lodge. This was also the first meeting at which the Master Elect was chosen, with Norman Smith being so elected.
Subsequently, in November 1969, Norman Smith was duly installed as Worshipful Master.
Following the opening of the Lodge in March 1970 a Worshipful Masters’ Collar, donated by W Bro. Small, was presented to the Worshipful Master. That collar continues to pass from Master to Master.
March 1970 also saw the initiation of Barry and Eric Turrell, sons of one of the original members, Bro. ‘Sandy’ Turrell, who delivered the Charge after Initiation.
At the meeting held in September 1970 Bro. David Johnson presented the Lodge with a set of working tools. These had been made by Bro. Jenkinson, silver plated by Bro. Clarke and W Bro. Hind had fitted the case. Reliable information tells us that Bro. Jenkinson was a lecturer in metalwork at Woolwich Polytechnic and that he and his students had crafted the tools whilst W Bro. Hind’s provision of the case was apparently related to his business as an undertaker! These tools continue to be used at every Lodge meeting to this day.
In November 1970 we have the second Installation meeting where Cyril Powley was installed as Worshipful Master and where W Bro. Small donated a loving cup, the whereabouts of which are now unknown.
Moving on we have the regular business of the lodge being conducted. Initiations, Passing, Raisings, Installations.
January 1973 sees the next item of note for it was at this meeting that the Lodge Banner was dedicated. The banner had been donated by Bro. Jacklin, a founder, who bore it into the Lodge for its dedication. It was unveiled by W Bro. Donald Hind and dedicated by Rev. Canon Peter Churton Collins.
In March 1973 W Bro. George Lee was invested as the Lodge’s first Charity Steward, the previous role of Charity Representative being formally established as a Lodge Office.
1973 also saw the Province of Kent divided into East Kent and West Kent at which point Thamesmead Lodge became a member of the Province of West Kent.
Business continued as usual with May 1976 providing items of note. At this meeting W Bro. Hind, after years of uninterrupted attendance, was elected an honorary member and three silver goblets were presented to the Lodge by Bro. Sandy Turrell on behalf of three unnamed brethren. These goblets are still used at all festive boards.
January and March 1987 are the next meetings of note because there was no ceremony performed at either of them, a first since the formation of the Lodge. Instead a talk was given at each of them.
We now arrive at March 1994 – the 25th anniversary of the Lodge. At this meeting a brief history of the Lodge was delivered by W Bro. Norman Smith but, sadly, no trace of that history can be located. At the festive board following the meeting Bro. John Easton had arranged a suitable birthday cake, which was greatly appreciated and quickly devoured.
September 1975 saw the approval of new ‘model’ by laws, which Grand Lodge had issued to bring the numerous diverse by laws amongst Lodges into relative conformity, and these were submitted to Province for approval.
The Installation meeting in November 1995 was somewhat unusual. The original representative of the Provincial Grand Master was taken ill and it was necessary to appoint a substitute. Unfortunately he too became unwell and was unable to attend. The day before the meeting W Bro. Donald Clapcott was called upon. These circumstances were unusual enough in themselves but it also meant that W Bro. Clapcott would be filling this role for the second year running, an unheard of occurrence. It proved most fortunate for the Lodge because W Bro. Clapcott so enjoyed the experience that he became a regular, and welcome, visitor from then on.
In January 1996 the Provincial Grand Master approved the revised by laws adopted by the Lodge the previous September and they became effective.
Another first for the Lodge occurred in November 1997 when W Bro. Norman Smith took the chair for the second time. Since its inception the Lodge had always installed a lay brother into the chair of King Solomon. Unfortunately the Lodge no longer enjoyed the depth of membership it had once possessed and it became necessary to call upon a Past Master to fill the role, and who better than the one first elected to that office.
Soon the new millennium was upon us and the Lodge continued its progress. In January 2000 Stuart Roberts was initiated followed in March by Raymond Holland. However, the halcyon days of initiates was past and initiates now became rare animals.
In May 2002 W Bro. Clapcott, who had been a regular visitor since 1995, was elected an honorary member; much to his and the Lodge’s delight.
Still striving for ‘firsts’ the Lodge held its September 2002 meeting away from Welling having received a dispensation to hold it at the Duke of Kent Court at Chislehurst where we were able to invite resident brethren to join us. W Bro. K. Lorberg, Group APGM, also attended the meeting, accompanied by his DC. The main business was to conduct the ceremony of Passing. This was a ‘white table’ meeting and following the closure of the Lodge we were joined by the ladies and non-Masonic friends for the festive board, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The Installation meeting in November 2005 was different, to say the least. The Installing Master, W Bro. Wheatley, was on crutches which greatly limited his mobility. He performed those parts he could from the chair before handing over to W Bro. McFerran who completed the proceedings on his behalf.
In May 2006 we returned to Duke of Kent Court to rehearse the ceremony of Passing, with W Bro. S. Robbens, new Group APGM, in attendance, again inviting masonic residents to join us. As on the previous occasion the festive board took the form of a white table and met with the same success as its predecessor.
At the September 2006 meeting it was resolved to reduce the number of Lodge meetings from five to four, dropping the January meeting. In 2004 there had been only one initiation, with none in 2005 or 2006. Meetings now consisted of rehearsals or talks. It was resolved that, with the lack of candidates, five meetings was excessive. The revised by-laws were subsequently approved by Province and from 2007 the January meeting ceased.
September 2007 saw another innovation. The Lodge was called off to allow a lay brother, Bro. Stuart Roberts, to practise the ceremony of Initiation.
September 2009 was a milestone – the 200th meeting of the Lodge. To mark the occasion a special presentation – ‘Lodge Night 1759’ – was arranged. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Derek Bearman was in attendance. Members of Bromley and West Kent Masonic Study Circle, dressed in the attire of the age, delivered a representation of a Lodge meeting of that time, which proved highly entertaining.The festive board following stayed strictly 21st century!
At the Installation meeting in November 2010 W Bro. Lawrence was proclaimed Worshipful Master, thus occupying the chair for two consecutive years, another first!
In May 2012 it was brought to the attention of the Lodge Secretary [W Bro. Roberts] that regalia belonging to the late Norman Smith, founder and our first elected Master, was for sale on e-bay. Apparently his niece had ‘no idea what to do with them’ so put them on there. With the assistance of his son W Bro. Roberts ensured these items were acquired by the Lodge and the collar and breast jewel are now handed in perpetuity from IPM to IPM.
At the September 2014 meeting, following the precedent set in 2007, a lay brother, Bro. Clive Rea, took the chair to practice the ceremony of Initiation, the lodge being duly called off. A further highlight of this same meeting was that his son, Bro. Glen Rea, delivered, in an excellent manner, the lecture on the First Degree Tracing Board.
In May 2015, following his success in carrying out a ceremony the previous year, Bro. Clive Rea again took the chair to practice the ceremony of Passing and acquitted himself admirably.
We now come to a remarkable episode in the history of Thamesmead Lodge, if not West Kent as a whole. The meeting in November 2015 was, of course the Installation meeting. But no ordinary Installation meeting! The Master Elect, Clive Rea, had invited, as a personal guest, none other than MW Bro. Peter Lowndes, the Pro Grand Master – second most senior mason in the United Grand Lodge of England.
This caused some consternation in the Province, not least when it transpired that the date clashed with a meeting of Provincial Officers Mess, at which the Provincial Executive needed to be in attendance. However, things were quickly clarified when the Pro Grand Master insisted that his visit was entirely private, thereby not requiring any protocol. On the day he merely took his seat in the Lodge along with everyone else and thoroughly enjoyed the ensuing ceremony. He did, however, have a trick up his sleeve. Unknown to other than a handful of ‘need to know’ members he surprised the newly installed Master, and the rest of the brethren, by delivering the Address to Master. Unforgettable!
The ‘firsts’ keep coming. Old Wilsonians Lodge No. 6602 [a London Lodge] had a backlog of candidates and through the auspices of W Bro. Terry Hall, who was their current WM and a regular visitor to Thamesmead Lodge, had requested us to pass a brother to the Second Degree on their behalf which we did at the meeting in March 2016, the relevant rule of the Book of Constitutions having been observed.
In May 2016 the then new Provincial Grand Master, Mark Estaugh, visited the Lodge where he witnessed W Bro. Ian Wheatley initiate his son, Luke. His kind remarks at the festive board clearly showed that he had greatly enjoyed his visit.
The meeting in March 2017 was significant in that following the raising of Bro. Luke Wheatley the Worshipful Master [Mick McFerran] delivered the ‘Charge after Raising’, a rare event. He followed this in May 2017, when Bro. Stuart Greir was passed to the second degree, by delivering not only the ‘Charge after Passing’ but also the explanation of the Tracing Board.
We come up to date with the Installation meeting in November 2018 at which W Bro. Barry Turrell, our longest serving member, being amongst the first initiates into the Lodge, and Worshipful Master in 1981, was installed into the chair to guide the Lodge through its Golden Anniversary year.
No history of the Lodge would be complete without acknowledging the Lodge of Instruction which has been ongoing on a weekly basis, summer break excluded, since its formation. Here all who have aspired to office, particularly the chair, have learned their craft with the unstinted assistance of their fellow members.
Initially held at Conservative Club at Lower Belvedere, it moved to The Standard in Nuxley Road, White Hart at Erith, Prince of Wales at Erith, Duchess of Kent at Erith and Conservative Club at Bexleyheath before taking residence at Westwood Centre in Welling in 2007, where it is to the present day.
Similarly, the annual Ladies Festivals, giving the members the opportunity to thank their ladies for the much appreciated, and much needed, support they provide year on year, have to be acknowledged. Initially single evening events these evolved some years ago into weekend functions, greatly enjoyed by all. We look forward to marking our 50th Anniversary further with a Ladies Weekend at Chichester Park Hotel in mid-May 2019.
It must be acknowledged that membership of Thamesmead Lodge is not at the level it was in the early years. Indeed, current membership is only slightly more than the number of Founders (18 v 16).
BUT, fifty years ago a small group of friends got together to form a Lodge in Kent to enjoy their masonry in a local environment and develop it into a happy place to be. Fifty years on a different small group of friends strive to uphold that ambition. Long may it continue
