The
History of our Lodge
Warm
and fraternal greetings to all Freemasons wherever dispersed, from
the Master, Officers and Brethren of the St. Patrick's Lodge No.
5742 in the Province of Middlesex, England.
You may be wondering why a lodge with such an Irish title is residing
in the heart of rural Middlesex.
The answer lies in the position of the Guinness Brewery, whose British
headquarters is in Park Royal, a suburb of west London.
In 1937 the Arthur Guinness Brewery was near completion and staff
were transferred from Dublin to initiate brewing processes. According
to historical records, the aim was to ensure that none of the flavour
was lost in the transfer, so members of the brewery in Dublin were
asked to accompany the secret formula and set up the means whereby
it could be produced in large quantities to be sold to the unsuspecting
British public.
It
just so happened that some of these employees were members of the
Craft but of the Irish Constitution, so it wasn't long before the
idea was floated of originating a lodge here in West London under
the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England. Consequently,
due to the particular enthusiasm of some highly motivated brethren
and the warm-hearted generosity of The Horsa Dun Lodge No 3123
EC which undertook to become our Mother Lodge. On 4th
May 1938, St. Patrick's Lodge No.5742 was duly consecrated
and presented with its warrant.
In
those days most of its members were also brewery employees. During
the early 1940's one of the founder members, W. Bro. Lance Hall, served
as Provincial Grand Secretary before being nominated as Assistant
Provincial Grand Master. Promotion to Deputy Provincial Grand Master
followed, a position he held until he retired.
As
time passed, lodge membership expanded to include a wide range of
careers, from Government employees to Information Technology specialists.
Despite the changes, the Irish traditions are still strong and the
Irish Constitution continues to feature on the list of after dinner
toasts. The choice of Lodge name is obvious, as is the derivation
of the harp that forms the central part of the Lodge emblem.
Like
a number of Lodges in England, St. Patrick's has had times when
it has struggled to attract new members. But now the worst appears
to be over, and all the signs are of a resurgence of fortunes as
the number of Lodge members grows. The new members are showing a
renewed enthusiasm for all aspects of modern freemasonry and long
may this trend continue.
Last updated:
3-jul-08
