The Old Bexley Lodge No. 7129
The Old Bexley Lodge was founded in 1952 and is still going strong over seventy years later. (Click here for a brief history of Old Bexley).
Our Lodge has been described as friendly. We have fun whilst practicing our Freemasonry and, like all Freemasons, we welcome members from all backgrounds, ethnicities and faiths. We are a very local Lodge with most members living in north west Kent.
Freemasonry is based on three principles – brotherly love, relief and truth. Our Lodge embraces these principles by helping and supporting each other and our families, helping and supporting others, and by supporting charitable organisations.
Social events include our annual Ladies Festival, when we go away for the weekend with our wives/partners. The highlight of the weekend is the Saturday night Gala Dinner, when we pay tribute to our wives/partners for the support they give to us as we engage in our Freemasonry. Other events include BBQ's, Sunday Lunches etc. These events are primarily of a social nature, but we also use them to raise money for good causes. It's what we do!
Our Lodge meets five times a year, on the first Thursday in the months of February, March, May, October and November. Meetings are held at The Masonic Hall, Wilmington, Dartford and normally start at 5.00pm.
However, recognising that not everyone can get there for this time, the Lodge is considering the introduction of a “dual start time”. This would mean that all of the routine administration items would be dealt with from 5.00pm, leaving important work like ceremonies etc until later when those who cannot attend at 5.00 can be there.
There is ample free car parking at the Centre, so there will always be room for later arrivals to park.
We run our own bar at Lodge meetings, so prices are reasonable. After the meeting we enjoy a three course dinner with free wine.
Our membership fee is ￡229 per year, which includes the meal and wine after each Lodge meeting. These can be paid in full each year or by monthly instalments. There is also a joining, or Initiation, fee which covers items such as Regalia that are presented to an initiate as he progresses in the Craft. It also covers the joining fee for Royal Arch.
We also have an active Lodge of Instruction (LOI) which meets on Tuesdays between September and May. This is where we practice and prepare for our meetings. LOI provides a non-threatening and supportive environment for newer members to get to know how things are done.
Meetings are held at the Dartford Masonic Centre starting at 7.30pm and normally last between 1 to 2 hours. LOI Membership is free of charge and, again, there is ample free parking at the Centre.
In addition, we have a General Purposes Committee which meets on the last Tuesday in March and September. These meetings are open to all members of the Lodge to attend. The March meeting is held at the Dartford Masonic Centre, and is when we discuss and agree the "work" of the Lodge for the ensuing year, which starts with the May meeting. The September meeting normally takes the form of a "Pie and Pint Night" at a local pub, and is mainly a social event.
If you would like to know more about Freemasonry in general, or the Old Bexley Lodge in particular, or are interested in joining the Lodge, then please contact our Secretary