Governance
(Above: Arms of United Grand Lodge of England)
Gosport Lodge is part of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire & Isle of Wight http://hiowmasons.org/
This in turn is part of the United Grand Lodge of England http://www.ugle.org.uk/
The United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the governing body of Freemasonry in England, Wales and the Channel Islands. Its headquarters are at:
Freemasons’ Hall
Great Queen Street
London WC2B 5AZ
It meets in Quarterly Communication on the second Wednesdays in March, June, September and December and the Annual Investiture and Grand Festival take place on the last Wednesday in April.
The United Grand Lodge of England has some 270,000 members grouped in 8,322 lodges. Lodges in London (an area within a 10 mile radius of Freemasons’ Hall), are organised into groups administered by Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London. Lodges outside London and within England, Wales and the Channel Islands are grouped into 47 Provinces, based on the old Counties, each headed by a Provincial Grand Master.
Lodges meeting abroad are grouped in 33 Districts each headed by a District Grand Master, 5 Groups each headed by a Grand Inspector, with 12 lodges being administered from Freemasons’ Hall.
The Grand Lodge publishes a Year Book which can be purchased from Freemasons’ Hall, listing all of its lodges with their meeting dates and places, Grand Officers and senior Provincial and District Officers.
The Book of Constitutions (rule book) has been in the public domain since the first edition was published in 1723 and can be purchased from Freemasons’ Hall.
Freemason’s Hall, London
Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire & Isle of Wight
The governing body of English Freemasonry is the United Grand Lodge of England. For administrative purposes the country is divided into ‘London and 47 Provinces’. The Masonic Province of Hampshire & IOW is one and comprises of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight together with Bournemouth, which more correctly is in Dorset. Around the border of the County there are other anomalies.
The headquarters of Hampshire & IOW Masonry is at Chandlers Ford. The address of the Provincial Office is 85 Winchester Road, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 2GG it is in fact situated in Hillway, off Winchester Road. There is a Masonic Centre nearby known as Kings Court. The Province has 38 Masonic Centres situated in Aldershot, Farnborough, Farnham, Alton, Basingstoke, Bordon, Botley, Woolston, Bournemouth, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, Cosham, Havant, Horndean, Petersfield, Fareham, Gosport, West Cowes, East Cowes, Freshwater, Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Seaview, Ventnor, Brockenhurst, Christchurch, Fordingbridge, Lymington, New Milton, Portsmouth (x2), Southampton, Totton, Andover, Hursley, and Winchester. In all there are 253 Lodges in the Masonic Province of Hampshire & Isle of Wight with a total membership of around 11,000 individual brethren”.
Some Centres have small Masonic museums and occasionally hold Open Days and Garden Fetes, when the public is welcome. Members are encouraged to involve their ladies in the social activities of their Lodges, which they do by holding Ladies Evenings and socials. In addition there is a Golf Society, which holds annual meetings amongst its members and matches against other Masonic Provinces. Speakers are available to address public meetings about Freemasonry.
Many of the Masonic Centres are available for hire by the local community for functions such as business meetings, receptions and dinner dances. For availability and terms of hire each Centre should be contacted individually.
The Hampshire & IOW Grand Lodge has two websites – this site, which is mainly focussed on existing members – and a public site, which is designed to be more understandable to prospective members, or perhaps just curious browsers! Our public site can be found at www.HampshireFreemasonry.com. Both websites are fully open to anyone with an Internet connection – i.e. there are no restricted-access areas on either website. Other Masonic associations can also be accessed from both sites through their ‘links’ pages.
There are two Masonic Homes which are in or close to the Province. Zetland Court at Bournemouth and Shannon Court on the Surrey Hampshire border at Hindhead. These are part of a network of residential homes across the country caring for and providing a home for life, to over 1,150 older Freemasons and their dependants.
(Above: Arms of Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire & Isle of Wight)
