Facta non verba
Moreford Lodge No. 7097 50th AnniversaryFreemasonary
There are about 175,000 Freemasons in England and about 7,000 Lodges. In Surrey there are just over 5000 freemasons meeting in their various lodges. Moreford is one of those lodges, a local, friendly and sociable lodge based at Surbiton. Our members are drawn mainly from nearby, although we are open to applicants wherever they may live.
We recognise that many people don’t already know much about their local freemasonry. These days freemasonry is very open; in fact we’re all very proud of our membership and of the good causes we support in our communities. So if you have an interest in joining the lodge or just knowing more we would welcome the chance to tell you about us, our values and freemasonry in general.
In the meantime please explore this site to find out more about Moreford Lodge, its history and what we do. Whatever your interest in your local lodge we hope that you find our site interesting.
Thank you for visiting.
Moreford Lodge No. 7097
We are Moreford Lodge, one of the 240 lodges and 5000 individual members who together make up the Provincial Grand Lodge of Surrey.
We meet at the Surbiton Masonic Centre in The Crescent, Surbiton. Constructed in 1840, the house is located in the Surbiton conservation area. The building is a fine example of the architectural transition from late Georgian to the early Victorian and was one of the first substantive family homes to be built in Surbiton.
The centre has three lodge meeting rooms, five individually diverse rooms, two fantastic bars and a team of resident chefs and staff. The facilities include disabled toilets and lift access to all floors plus an on-site 110 capacity car park.
Most lodges meet formally 4 times a year on specific days. In the case of Moreford Lodge, the regular meetings of the Lodge are held on the 3rd Saturday in the month of September (Installation), 2nd Saturday in November, 3rd Saturday in March and 2nd Saturday in May.
In addition to our regular lodge meetings we meet more often on Tuesday evenings throughout the year (still at Surbiton) where we get together informally to enjoy each other’s company and to take part in ‘Lodge of Instruction’ rehearsals.
Social Life
At Moreford Lodge friends and family are very much encouraged to join in and enjoy the social side of lodge membership. Our Social Events team regularly organise a number of events during the year such as curry nights, a Christmas dinner event and other social get togethers. These social events are always open for the family and non-masonic friends to come along.
In addition to this our major event of the year – usually on a weekend in May – is a social event away, normally at a hotel on the South Coast such as Bournemouth. This weekend culminates in a rather more formal “black tie” dinner and dance on the Saturday evening and is a great opportunity to invite and involve friends and family.
More widely there are many other events organised by the Provincial Grand Lodge and other private lodges across Surrey, all of which are open to a member, his family and friends to enjoy.
Charity
Like other Surrey freemasons the members of Moreford Lodge are very much involved with supporting local and national charities, raising funds for good causes both masonic and non-masonic charities for the benefit of the whole community. These include the masonic charities such as the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution providing care to elderly freemasons, their families and dependents. Freemasons across the country also contribute via The Grand Lodge in support of national public charities in all areas such as the hospice movement, cancer care, children’s charities. And at our own lodge level we have regular requests from our members to support initiatives important to them and their family and friends. We are regularly contribute to Macmillan Cancer Support and Diabetes UK.
Like all lodges we recognise that every individual member will be of different means: whatever you choose to give to our charities is entirely private and naturally unique to your circumstances.
Costs
There are costs involved in joining and being a mason; fees vary from lodge to lodge. It should be stressed that - apart from raising money for charity - all lodges are non-profit-making, charging only enough to pay for dinners, rooms, local and national lodge membership subscriptions. It is a common misconception that freemasonry is very costly. Of course each member will decide what he can donate to charities, but simply to join and enjoy your local lodge is substantially less than most imagine.
Although these figures do change (and very seldom get lower!) at Moreford Lodge there is a one-off joining and registration fee of £100 (this is set down by and passed directly on to the Grand Lodge).
Annual membership of the lodge costs £300 which covers some lodge expenses and includes our annual subscriptions to Provincial Grand Lodge and the United Grand Lodge of England. It also includes each of the four lodge-night dinner including wine.
Dress Code
For our social events there is no specific dress code beyond what is suitable for the occasion. But during lodge meetings members dress quite formally. Most will be wearing a morning suit or dark lounge suit with a white shirt. Members also wear aprons and other regalia at their regular meetings; Although you will be expected to purchase these as you go along it need not be particularly expensive, and there is often second hand regalia available.
Moreford History
Moreford Lodge No. 7097 was consecrated on Saturday 1st September 1951 at the Masonic Temple in Sutton. Moreford Lodge continued to meet at Sutton until September 1968 when the move to our current home in Surbiton was made possible by the expansion of Glenmore House.
Moreford Lodge is a Saturday Lodge, that is it always holds its regular meetings on a Saturday afternoon.
As the earliest name borne by Kingston, now known as Kingston-on-Thames, it was derived from Moreford, or the Great Ford, to which the town first owed its rise in importance and the notable part it played in the history of England, for Kingston contests with Winchester its claim to have been the ancient capital of England.
Kingston, throughout the following centuries, has been prominently linked with the destinies of England as the scene of historic events and even battles, and the recall of its earliest name of Moreford serves to enshrine them the more for all who value the inheritance of the glories of England’s past. The more contrasting in significance was the setting thus suggested by the title of the Moreford Lodge, of such historic background of long past centuries, in the fact that its Founders for the most part, were engaged in the most modern development in the history of England, all being technicians employed in the Kingston factory of the leading aero firm of Hawker Aircraft Ltd., and at that time bent on intensive re-armament production.
Most noteworthy and heartening from the aspect of Masonic influence, is their enthusiasm reflected in the fact that actively engaged throughout a six-day week, they devoted the relaxation brought by Sundays to the holding of a Class of Instruction, from which had sprung, in fact, the idea of forming a Lodge, which meeting on Saturdays, afforded greater facilities for attendance, than is the case, for many of them, in regard to their own Lodges.
The Lodge had been sponsored by the Redwood Lodge, No. 3411, meeting at Surbiton, but in order to secure the desired Saturday accommodation, throughout the year, the new Lodge, had arranged for its home to be at the Masonic Temple, Sutton, where its Consecration took place on Saturday, 1st September 1951, in auspicious circumstances, at the hands of the R.W. the Provincial Grand Master, Lieut.-Col. H. A. Mann, O.B.E., M.C.
Among the 17 Founders were numbered seven Installed Masters, early additions to the membership being foreshadowed by the announcement made of the receipt of three applications as Joining Members and four for initiation.
At the Festive Board, the first Master of Moreford Lodge, W.Bro. T. W. Gibbons, is remembered “as a man of deeds and few words” and “re-iterated his decision to keep all speeches at their briefest, and he hoped the example set might be followed”. Whilst he was probably referring to speeches that were to follow that day, perhaps his sentiment was also for future generations in Moreford! Facta non verba.
I leave you with the words of W.Bro. the Rev. H. Stephenson: “All have enjoyed witnessing the launch of the good ship Moreford which has now taken to sea, and it is hoped will prove a stout vessel, carrying a valuable cargo, but no passengers, for everyone sailing on her will have his share of duties to perform. It is starting on a voyage of discovery, and I trust it may prove one of real understanding and good fellowship.”
