Old Ben Lodge
Lodge Number: 9461
Shrewsbury
Address
Freemasons’ Hall
Crewe Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2HQ
Meeting Date
Fourth Saturday in January
Third Saturday in March
Second Saturday in May and October
Installation Date
May
Lodge Secretary
Contact our Lodge Secretary at https://airtable.com/shrOA07V7ak1Y5nE4.
Lodge Profile
Old Ben Lodge was originally formed as a lodge for men in the sale and distribution of newspapers whether wholesale or retail newsagents. To be a member It is not necessary to have been in that business and today the only connexion that many of the Lodge brethren will have is that they delivered papers house-to-house from a local shop as a boy! Today, our membership consists of men from various walks of life from craftsmen to medical professionals.
The Lodge was consecrated in 1992 and gets its name from from the Cockney abbreviation for the Newsvendors’ Benevolent Institution (NBI) which was started in 1835 as a charity to help newspaper sellers in distress. One of its notable Presidents was Charles Dickens who, of course wrote “A Christmas Carol,” a story which ends in benevolence and a version of which was once filmed in Shrewsbury.
The emblem of the Lodge depicts the Good Samaritan, one of the parables from the Bible, and was the badge of the NBI.
At first it was thought that the Lodge might hold its meetings in London but, as most of the support for its foundation came from Gloucestershire, Bristol, South Wales Cheshire and Lancashire, Shrewsbury was decided upon as the meeting place because of the good rail links.
Old Ben Lodge meets four times a year, on the fourth Saturday in January, third Saturday in March, the second Saturday in May and October. Meetings usually commence at 10 a.m. when business and ceremonies are conducted. These are followed by a lunch (known as a Festive Board) from about 12 noon. Proceedings are usually over by about 2 o’clock. These arrangements have proved popular to those unable to attend meetings on week-day evenings and we have been known to have a breakfast meeting sometimes.
Once admitted, brethren are permitted and encouraged to visit other lodges in Shropshire and elsewhere in the country and to take part in social activities with their spouses/partners and friends. There is a progression through the various offices of the lodge culminating in becoming Worshipful Master but this is not compulsory and brethren can progress when they feel comfortable to do so.
Membership of Freemasonry is open to all men who profess a faith in a Supreme Being but it is an important rule that religion and politics should not be discussed at Masonic meetings.
Whilst, above all, it is our aim to enjoy our membership, we must not lose sight of the fact that Freemasonry is, of course a charitable organisation. Locally and nationally it supports many worthy causes and important medical research. Prospective members should, of course bear this in mind and be prepared to support this aspect.
We welcome men of all ages into our ranks and hope that this information will help you to decide when considering an application.
You can contact our Lodge Secretary at https://airtable.com/shrOA07V7ak1Y5nE4.
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