The Teme Lodge
Lodge Number: 4267
Knighton
Address
Whitton Community Centre, Whitton, Knighton, LD7 1NP
Meeting Date
Third Tuesday in month
September to April
Installation Date
October
Lodge Secretary
Contact the Lodge Secretary
Lodge Profile
Teme Lodge No 4267 was conceived in 1920 when several Freemasons in the Knighton, Powys area and the surrounding neighbourhood felt that efforts should be made to form a Masonic Lodge in Knighton. This was supported by members of the Lodge of the Marches which operated in Ludlow, as it continues to do today.
The Warrant or Charter to form the Lodge was granted by the United Grand Lodge of England on the 14th March 1921. The Lodge was consecrated on “Empire Day” the 24th May 1921, by the Provincial Grand Master for Shropshire, Sir Offley Wakeman Bart. The Lodge takes its name from the river that flows through the town.
By October of 1921 the Lodge had recruited 6 joining members and 10 initiates.
The Lodge originally met in the Board Room at Offa’s Lodge in Knighton and in 1950 a committee was formed to look at the possibility of leasing Lodge rooms in Knighton Town Hall, but the Ministry of Works turned down the application for a licence to spend money on altering the rooms. On the 19th September the Lodge moved to Victoria Hall, Knighton, but due to the Methodist Church needing the accommodation the Lodge relocated to a small room in the Shire Hall, Presteigne in January 1981 and in September the same year to the Memorial Hall in Presteigne. The Lodge returned to Knighton in December 1991 and met at the Knighton Hotel under the hospitality of a number of owners of the Hotel. The Hotel entered into difficulty and the Lodge moved to its present home at the Whitton Community Hall in January 2017.
The town of Knighton has suffered like many small rural communities and for many years was the main source of membership for the Lodge. In the time before the millennium the Lodge up to the 1980s was well supported by local
Businessmen and the local community, with a strong membership. Currently membership has been reduced to around 35 members, of which a great many are from further afield than just Knighton.
The Lodge meets on the third Tuesday in the months of September to April and the 4th Tuesday in October. The Lodge works hard to provide a happy and vibrant atmosphere for its members and numerous visitors and has a widespread reputation for its hospitality and sociability. The Lodge is determined to provide good quality ceremonies at the meetings, followed by traditional style menus at the dining after proceedings.
With the changes in modern society, work patterns and a lack of a real understanding of what Freemasonry is and its values, it has been harder to recruit younger men into the Order. However, with the drive to be more open, to embrace social media in all its forms with new technologies and to look at the time meetings start and finish, has energised the interest of younger men. They are adding a new vitality to Freemasonry in general and are demonstrating both the Charitable and Community principles that young people today still have and exhibit on a daily basis. These are the type of people we wish to engage with and encourage to join us. We are very much an inclusive Lodge and have never appealed or attracted any particular sector of the community. Our diversity is the strength of the Lodge and is representative of the community it strives to serve.
The Lodge celebrated its centenary at a delayed meeting, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, at the Ludlow Racecourse on the 16th November 2021. The celebrations included the presentation of the Centenary Warrant and the dedication of the New Lodge Centenary Banner. This was undertaken by the Provincial Grand Master for Shropshire, Right Worshipful Brother Roger Brentnall Pemberton and an almost full complement of Active Provincial Grand Lodge Officers. 132 attended the celebrations which included wives, partners, lodge widows and guests and 120 dined at the Festive Board following the meeting. All the Brethren and Lodge widows were presented with a copy of the Lodge History, which included not only the significant moments in its past and the individuals who were prominent during the 100 years, but the development of the Province of Shropshire and United Grand Lodge.
The Lodge plans to distribute a significant amount of Charitable giving to local charities to augment the occasion and make a real difference in the community in which we live and work.