St Edmund Lodge No 4714 CALNE Province of Wiltshire

History of St Edmund Lodge No. 4714

This lodge was consecrated on the 27th of May 1925 and meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month (except June, July, August and December). The Worshipful Master is installed in May.

The Consecrating Officer was the R W Provincial Grand Master the Earl of Radnor and he was assisted by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W Bro T C P Calley. On this occasion the P G M not only consecrated the Lodge, he presented the working tools in each degree and gave the three addresses!

The first Master was W Bro B J Spackman P Pr G Supt Works;

the Senior Warden, W Bro A L Forrester P Pr A D C;

and the Junior Warden, Bro W E Pritchard.

From there it moved, until 1963, and held their ceremonies in Church Street, Calne. This was a rather ancient building which had a lot of character but was proving expensive and difficult to maintain, so in 1984 the Lodge used the Masonic Hall, Chippenham until their new home at the Masonic Hall, 17 The Green was ready.  St Edmund moved into this building in August 1985.  St Edmund Lodge was not the first Lodge to have met in Calne. In 1853 the Lansdowne Lodge of Unity No 909 was formed, but it did not do very well in Calne and after some years the Lodge moved to Chippenham.  It is now The Lansdowne Lodge of Unity, No. 626.

The Masonic Hall at 17 The Green, Calne also proved to be difficult to maintain.  Whilst a new purpose built Lodge was in construction, St. Edmund met at Chippenham , once again hosted by Lansdowne Lodge of Unity.  The new building was ready for use in January 2009 when the Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Francis Wakem QPM officiated at the Dedication Ceremony.