On 20 June 1922, Preston Guild Lodge No 4408 was consecrated at the Bull Hotel Assembly Rooms in Preston. Presiding over that ceremony was the Provincial Grand Master (designate) John Burrell. The WM at the consecration was Will Ord who at the time was a Past Grand Deacon of UGLE and had been appointed an Assistant Provincial Grand Master.
The official centenary celebration will be held with a full Provincial team on 3 October 2022. However, the lodge could not let the exact anniversary pass without some recognition and celebration. So, a special lodge meeting was held in Preston Masonic Hall on 20 June 2022. What a night it was!
First up was a very warm welcome to Peter Lockett, who is the Assistant Provincial Grand Master covering the Preston Group, and an honorary member. This gives Peter a home in Preston to come and simply enjoy Masonry when off duty. It also mirrors 1922 with an AProvGM in the lodge numbers.
The next item of business was a true celebration of the centenary with the initiation of Callum Conway. Callum is a serving Combat Medical Technician in the British Army. He should have joined a few months ago but a short tour of duty prevented that. But what a date to enjoy your admission into Freemasonry with Preston Guild Lodge. At 24 years of age, Callum is doing a great job of bringing the average age of the lodge down!
Callum’s interest in Freemasonry was sparked when talking with a colleague who was a Mason when on a tour of duty in Kenya. He was then able to follow the Pathway links to reach out to the Provincial Membership Team and be allocated to a group and then onto Preston Guild Lodge.
With the WM being on holiday, a superb team effort led by immediate past master Tim Horton, put on a great show for Callum as well as many visitors to the lodge. The Provincial Membership Officer Neil Ward was on hand and had the pleasure of presenting Callum with a copy of the antient charge. There were visitors from 10 other lodges present to enjoy an evening of recess busting Masonry!
The festive board was a real celebration. Preston Guild Lodge is Preston’s Hall Stone lodge, and it was a particular delight to have members of Blackpool Temperance Lodge No 5303, a fellow Hall Stone lodge, joining in the fun.
Peter Lockett expressed his delight at becoming an honorary member of such a unique lodge in Preston and remarked on the fascinating history of the lodge. He was looking forward to enjoying nights off duty where he could sit back and simply enjoy being a Mason.
Callum continued his confident introduction into Freemasonry with an excellent maiden response to the toast to his health. He graciously thanked all who had smoothed his passage into Freemsonry from that initial conversation in Kenya. Callum also appreciated all of the hard work in making his ceremony such a pleasant experience.
With so many visitors, Alistair McIntyre, who was acting junior warden, reminded those present of the ancient tradition of operative Masons visiting in times past. It was such an honour to have so many visitors on this special night.
