Abbey Lodge: Proud to be a Hall Stone Lodge
The Story of Freemason’s Hall
While the peace treaties after the First World War were still being negotiated in Versailles, following the armistice on 11 November 1918, the United Grand Lodge of England began preparations for its own masonic peace celebration in London. In June 1919, guests from lodges in Ireland, Scotland, America, Canada, New Zealand and England enjoyed a week of activities, including visits to the masonic schools and the Houses of Parliament. A peace medal was issued to those who attended the special Grand Lodge meeting on 27 June at the Royal Albert Hall.
The Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Connaught, was unable to attend, but he asked Lord Ampthill, the Pro Grand Master, to read a series of messages. One of these spoke of ‘a perpetual memorial’ to ‘honour the many brethren who fell during the war’. For the Grand Master, ‘The great and continued growth of Freemasonry amongst us demands a central home; and I wish it to be considered whether the question of erecting that home in this metropolis of the empire… would not be the most fitting peace memorial.’
With individual lodges considering what form their own memorials should take, the issue was raised at the Grand Lodge meeting in September 1919. Charles Goff from Fortitude and Old Cumberland Lodge, No. 12, asked if consideration had been given to other forms of memorial – particularly a fund to support Freemasons wounded during the war or their dependants. Charles also asked whether a major building project should proceed at a time of housing shortage. Although several lodges and Provinces decided to support local hospitals, Grand Lodge elected to proceed with its new temple.
In January 1920 details of the campaign to raise funds for the new building were distributed to lodges and individual members. The target was £1 million, giving the campaign its name – the Masonic Million Memorial Fund. Contributions were to be marked by the award of medals. Members who contributed at least 10 guineas (£10.50) were to receive a silver medal and those who gave 100 guineas (£105) or more, a gold medal. Lodges that contributed an average of 10 guineas per member (there were 28 members of Abbey Lodge 2529 at the time) were to be recorded in the new building as Hall Stone Lodges and the Master of each entitled to wear a special medal as a collarette.
Only 2 East Lancashire Lodges became Hall Stone Lodges primarily because the Province of East Lancashire had, just prior to the outbreak of war, purchased a plot of land in Manchester for the building of a central meeting place. An appeal was launched to fund this project at the same time as the Masonic Million Memorial Fund was launched. The Provincial Grand Master’s Council did not in the circumstances, feel able to make a further appeal to the brethren of East Lancashire, fearing that to do so would result in the failure of the appeal and so did not recommend the Masonic Million Memorial Fund to the brethren of East Lancashire.
Abbey Lodge Think Differently
Despite this recommendation, at an Emergency Abbey Lodge meeting called by Sir James T Travis-Clegg on Thursday, 31st May 1923
It was decided that the Lodge qualify as a Hall Stone Jewel Lodge, the difference between the amount of donations already received (£228.10s.0d worth £17,310 in 2024) and the required 280 guineas i.e. £65.10s.0d. (£4,960 in 2024) be advanced from Lodge funds to be repaid as subscriptions came in.
This course of action was determined by the fact that W Bro Thomas Thompson who had been instrumental in persuading the members to aspire to Hall Stone status as the Worshipful Master who would receive the award on behalf of the Lodge.
The following minute records the occasion when Abbey Lodge 2529 became a Hall Stone Lodge.
Wednesday the 5th September 1923 will stand out in the annuls of Abbey Lodge, for on that day the Worshipful Master, Bro. T H Thompson PPGW was invested by the Most Worshipful Grand Master Lord Ampthill with the collar and jewel of a Hall Stone Lodge to be worn in perpetuity by the Worshipful Master of Abbey Lodge as a reminder that the Lodge has subscribed the required amount towards the building of the proposed Memorial Masonic Temple in London.
It is worth noting that this particular Grand Lodge meeting was the first-ever meeting held outside of London. It was held at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool to which there were 3,500 applications for the 2,500 seats. It was a popular event.
