On a damp and gloomy January Thursday morning six brethren from The Lodge of Dawn, plus two guests, boarded a train bound for the big smoke; London.
The reason for the journey? A masonic visit to ‘Lodge 10k‘ (Lodge Sine Nomine, No 10,000) along with a tour of the home of UGLE and Freemasonry in general in England, Freemasons Hall.
Safely arriving at Kings Cross, the brethren hopped on a tube and then got soaked to the skin by a downpour as they walked the short distance to Freemasons Hall, where they were joined by three more of The Lodge of Dawn brethren.
After a brief drying off, the brethren were treated to a fascinating tour of Grade 1 listed Freemasons Hall, viewing numerous temples and rooms within the building, conducted by Les Hutchinson, CEO of the Masonic Charitable Foundation, and finishing in the highly impressive Grand Temple.
The tour concluded with a quick look around the fascinating museum, with some brethren purchasing masonic goods in the shop.
With time to kill before the evening’s ceremony the group retired to a local hostelry for some well-earned refreshments.
The ceremony at Lodge 10k was for the installation of their new Worshipful Master and featured a number of very high-ranking masons. The highlight of the ceremony being the pleasant surprise of seeing one of The Lodge of Dawn’s own brethren being installed as the Junior Warden. Congratulations go to Bro. Sam Fryer.
After the ceremony, a pre-dinner champagne reception took place in the vestibules of the Grand Temple, with dinner consisting of a four course meal plus copious amounts of red and white wine finished off with cheese and port. Toasts and speeches ensued along with some very enthusiastic ‘firing’, making the festive board a very impressive and enjoyable time.
With the train back to Leeds not departing until 11.30, after the meal the brethren returned to the pub for a couple of nightcaps, before finally arriving back in Leeds sometime around 02.30 in the morning.
A very long day for some, but a very enjoyable trip. The next ‘away game’ will be in March with a trip to Edinburgh, and hopefully will be as interesting and fun as this one.
Take a look at the full gallery of the day, below;
Visiting other lodges is one of the highlights of Freemasonry. It is a major part of the social side of Freemasonry, giving everyone the opportunity to meet, and make new, friends and acquaintances as well as watching ‘same but different’ ceremonies. The Lodge of Dawn is very active in arranging lodge visits and you can read all about all of our most recent visits here.
If you are not a Freemason and, having read the above, would like to find out more, read our Seven Reason to Join The Freemasons, our guide on ‘How to join The Freemasons‘ or our simple ‘What is Freemasonry?’ page.
And if you would like to join The Lodge of Dawn in Leeds, please feel free to get in touch via our ‘Contact Us’ page.