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Who we are

About Us

A Little Bit About Us

About Freemasonry In Farnborough

The roots of modern Freemasonry lie with the medieval stonemasons that built our castles and cathedrals, yet it is as relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago. At Farnborough Masonic Centre X,XXX masons meet in XX Lodges. We also have a number of side orders meeting at the centre including XXXXX, XXXXX and XXXXX. Membership is open to people from all backgrounds and the organisation’s aim is to empower members to be the best they can be – it’s about building character, supporting members as individuals and helping them make a positive contribution to society.

Who's Who

The Directors

I joined Masonry in 1991 and became master of the lodge in 1999. I took the office of treasurer in 2001, a position that I still hold.

I was the treasurer of the installed masters Lodge for 2 periods of 6 years each and was master on 2 occasions, 2008 and 2018.

I was promoted to Provincial Senior Deacon in 2006 and Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in 2013.

I have been the Visiting officer for Aldershot Camp Lodge since 2011.

I am the treasurer for the Tom Langton Fund and Assistant Provincial Treasurer for Hants & IOW.

I am the financial director for the Farnborough companies, responsible for invoicing the units, banking, paying suppliers and producing financial reports for the board.

I joined Masonry after attending a ladies night and my Proposer sold me on the charity aspect and, also, I was impressed by the brotherhood and camaraderie.

Three words to describe the Farnborough Masonic Centre: Really good friends.

I’ve been a Mason for 14 years and in that time have become a serial Treasurer for my Mother Lodge as well as Chapter & Rose Croix.

I have responsibility for Marketing the facilities of the Centre as well as trying to find more outside hirer’s to ease the cost burden on members.

I joined Masonry for the comraderie & companionship  as well as gaining a greater knowledge of the history and the origins of how the organisation evolved. It is also great to support small local charities which I come across as Charity Steward both in Craft & Chapter.

I have made many good friends over the years and also formed a closer bond with existing friends who have been masons far longer than myself.

Freemasonry provides a structure for members to come together under these common goals, enabling people to make new friendships, develop themselves and make valuable contributions to charitable causes. We are one of the largest charitable givers in the country, in Farnborough we contributed to £XX,XXX to deserving causes in 2019.

Our Timeline

History Of Freemasonry

Middle Ages

When, How & Why

The questions of when, how, why and where Freemasonry originated are still the subject of intense speculation. The general consensus amongst Masonic scholars is that it descends directly or indirectly from the organisation of operative stone masons who built the great cathedrals and castles of the middle ages.
Middle Ages
1646

Elias Ashmole's Initiation

Elias Ashmole recorded his initiation with these words: 'October 16, 4.30pm - I was made a freemason at Warrington in Lancashire with Colonel Henry Mainwaring [a Roundhead parliamentarian friend related to his father-in-law] of Karincham in Cheshire. The names of those that were then at the Lodge, Mr Richard Penket Worden, Mr James Collier, Mr Richard Sankey, Henry Littler, John Ellam, Richard Ellam and Hugh Brewer.' This is the first evidence of the initiation of an English speculative mason - notwithstanding the fact that those present and listed would have certainly been initiated at an earlier date.
1646
1660

Non-operative lodges

From the 1660s more evidence exists of gentlemen being made Masons in non-operative Lodges
1660
1717

The First Grand Lodge

On St John's Day, 24 June 1717 four London Lodges, which had existed for some time, came together at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard, declared themselves a Grand Lodge and elected Anthony Sayer as their Grand Master. This was the first Grand Lodge in the world.
1717
1723

The Book of Constitions of Masonry

By this time the new Grand Lodge had published its first rule book - The Book of Constitutions of Masonry - and was meeting quarterly and recording its meetings. It had extended its authority outside London.
1723
1725

Welcome Ireland

The Grand Lodge of Ireland was established
1725
1735

Welcome Scotland

The Grand Lodge of Scotland was established. The three Home Grand Lodges began to take Freemasonry overseas and the development of Freemasonry abroad mirrors the 18th and 19th century development of the British Empire.
1735
1751

Irish Rivalry

A rival Grand Lodge appeared in London. Its original members were Irish Masons who claimed that the original Grand Lodge had made innovations. They dubbed the first Grand Lodge the Moderns and called themselves the Antients. The two existed side by side - both at home and abroad - for nearly 63 years, neither recognising each other as regular.
1751
1813

Negotiation, Union & Standardisation

After four years of negotiation, the two Grand Lodges in England united on 27 December 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England. This union led to a great deal of standardisation of ritual, procedures and regalia.
1813
1814

Freemasonry Expansion

Some 647 Lodges were in existence. The 19th century saw a great expansion of Freemasonry - both at home and abroad.
1814
1900

2,800 Lodges Established

2,800 Lodges had been established despite losses when independent Grand Lodges were formed in Canada and Australia in the later part of the century.
1900
World Wars

Even More Lodges

The two World Wars both had a great effect on English Freemasonry. In the three years after the First World War over 350 new Lodges were set up, and in the three years after the Second World War nearly 600 new Lodges came into being. In many cases the founders were servicemen who wanted to continue the camaraderie they had built up during their war service, and were looking for a calm centre in a greatly changed and changing world.
World Wars
1967

Grand Lodge 250th Anniversary

On 14 June 1967 the 250th anniversary of Grand Lodge was celebrated at the Royal Albert Hall. Centrepiece of the celebrations was the installation as Grand Master of HRH The Duke of Kent, who still holds that office today.
1967
1992

Press Coverage at 275th Anniversary

On 10 June 1992 over 12,500 freemasons and guests gathered at Earls Court in West London to celebrate the 275th anniversary of Grand Lodge. For the first time press and television were present at a meeting of Grand Lodge and the event featured on television newscasts around the world.
1992
2017

300th Anniversary Celebration

The tercentenary of Grand Lodge in June 2017 was celebrated in style throughout the year, culminating with an Especial Meeting of Grand Lodge in the Royal Albert Hall, which was presided over by the Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Kent KG, and attended by representatives of 136 sovereign Grand Lodges from around the world.
2017

Who Are We?

United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing body of Freemasonry in England, Wales, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and some Districts overseas. Lodges in and around Farnborough meet at Farnborough Masonic Centre. 

Freemasons use four important guiding principles to help define their path through life: Integrity, Friendship, Respect and Charity.   

How Are We Organised?

Currently there are around XX,XXX masons meeting at Farnborough Masonic Centre in over XX units. 

Lodges across the country are grouped into 48 Provinces by region, roughly in line with the old county boundaries, Lodges meeting at Farnborough are members of two provinces Hampshire & IOW and Surrey. 

How Do We Operate?

Farnborough Masonic Centre is not a lodge it itself, we provide facilities for Lodges to meet. This includes 2 Meeting Rooms (often referred to as “Templs”), 2 Dining Rooms, Meeting Rooms and  a practise Meeting Room (often referred to as a practise Temple). 

We are offer a warm welcome all masons,  including those brethren who may use a wheelchair or have limited mobility. 

The centre is run and managed by a Board of 7 Directors.  

In addition we provide our facilities for use by the local community and they can also be hired out, for more information please visit our Events Company website by clicking here.

100 Notable Freemasons

Al Jolson
Alexander Pope
Alfred Marks
Ally McCoist
Anthony Trollope
Arnold Palmer
Benjamin Franklin
Bill Bowes
Bob Monkhouse
Bud Abbot
Burl Ives
Buzz Aldrin
Capt Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Sir Norman Lloyd-Edwards
Cecil B DeMill
Cecil Rhodes
Christopher Wren
Clark Gable
Cyril Fletcher
Daniel Boone
Darren Day
David Garrick
David Kid Jensen
David Nixon
Davy Crockett
Don Revie
Douglas Fairbanks
Dr T J Barnardo
Duke Ellington
Edmundo Ross
Ernest Borgnine
Field Marshal 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Earl Haig
Field Marshal Earl Kitchener of Khartoum
Franz Liszt
Gene Autry
Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury
Gerald R Ford
Geraldo
Glenn Ford
Harold Abrahams
Henry Ford
HRH The Duke of Kent, Grand Master
Irving Berlin,
J. Edgar Hoover
Jack Dempsey
Jackie Milburn
James Boswell
Jim Bowie
Jim Davidson
Jock Stein
Joe Mercer 
Johann Christian Bach
John Wayne
Keith Skues
Kenneth McKeller
King Edward VII
King Edward VIII
King George IV
King George VI
King William IV
Len Shackleton
Leslie Compton
Lloyd Davies
Lord Randolph Churchill
Malcolm Campbell
Nat ‘King’ Cole
Oliver Hardy
Oscar Wilde
Peter Ebdon
Peter Sellers
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Rick Wakeman
Robbie Burns
Roger de Courcey
Roger Kitter
Ron Greenwood
Rudyard Kipling
Sir Alec Rose
Sir Alexander Fleming
Sir Alf Ramsey
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Sullivan
Sir Billy Butlin
Sir Clive Lloyd
Sir Donald Campbell
Sir Donald Wolfitt
Sir Ernest Shackleton
Sir Harry Lauder
Sir Leonard Hutton
Sir Richard Burton
Sir Walter Scott
Sir William S Gilbert
Sir Winston Churchill
Thomas Telford
Tommy Trinder
WC Fields
William Buffalo Bill Cody
William ‘Count’ Basie
William ‘Dixie’ Dean
William Hogarth
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wyn Calvin MBE OStJ

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Video

Guided Tour Of The Centre