THE LODGE
About Strand Lodge
We were constituted in 1883, we have met in central London ever since, and we are still doing the same three things: keeping good company, practising the ritual carefully, and giving what we can.
WHO WE ARE
A London lodge since 1883
Strand Lodge No. 1987 was constituted on Wednesday 14 February 1883 under charter from the United Grand Lodge of England. We take our name from the street where our founders worked. One of them, James Willing Junior, gave the Lodge its start, and our Charity Box is still made from oak taken out of the staircase at 332 The Strand, the building where Charles Dickens worked on the staff of the Morning Chronicle.
We have met continuously since then, through two wars, several changes of venue and a good deal of London's rebuilding. Our membership has included printers and publishers, engineers and accountants, a violinist, a station master at King's Cross, a nuclear research chemist and at least one flueologist. If there is a type of person who joins Strand Lodge, we have not found him yet.
PRINCIPLES
What we stand for
Freemasonry asks four things of a man: integrity, friendship, respect and service. They are not complicated ideas and we do not pretend they are. What the Lodge gives you is a regular reason to take them seriously, in the company of people who are doing the same.
Beyond that, three things matter to us particularly.
Ritual done properly
Our Lodge of Instruction has met since 1900 and it is where the work gets learned. Nobody is thrown in unprepared.
Charity that is real
At our consecration meeting the Worshipful Master’s list raised one hundred guineas, an unheard of sum at the time. The Strand Lodge Charities Association followed in 1906 and we have kept it going since.
Company worth keeping
Most of what holds a lodge together happens at the table afterwards, and it is the part members miss most when they cannot get to a meeting.
DIARY
When and where we meet
We meet five times a year at Freemasons' Hall, 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ, the home of English Freemasonry. Meetings begin at 5pm and are followed by dining.
| Meeting | When |
|---|---|
| Installation | First Friday of October |
| Regular meeting | First Friday of November |
| Regular meeting | First Friday of December |
| Regular meeting | Second Friday of February |
| Election | Second Friday of March |
Visiting brethren are always welcome, by arrangement with the Secretary.
TWO BODIES
Lodge and Chapter
Strand Chapter No. 1987 was consecrated in 1924 and attached to this Lodge. The two share most of their membership. It is one team playing two games, and many members do both.
The Chapter meets three times a year, and not at Great Queen Street. Its home is Mark Masons Hall in St James's Street.
USEFUL LINKS
BECOME A MEMBER
You need only ask.
There is no invitation to wait for. Write to us, meet us and decide in your own time. Most of our members began exactly there.