Willington

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Willington’s Diamond Celebration at 4028

On Wed. 13 September the Lodge once again opened its doors to welcome members and visitors.  Past Assistant Grand Master, David Hay and his Director of Ceremonies, Nigel Watson were also present to celebrate  a Diamond  celebration in recognition 60 years of continual membership  and Service for Ronald David Coates. It is probably no coincidence that David  also  attended for the presentation of a 50 year citation to David in 2013.

 It was also the evening of the Fraternal visit from Tow Law Lodge. In total there were 21 members  and 61 visitors in attendance.

 David was married and has two children. He worked for the railways and then joined his mother in the family business at Willington  Post Office where he served for many years as Postmaster until he retired. He is fondly remembered by the townspeople.

 As part of the evening David presented a short history of Willington in the 1800s which was well received and enjoyed by the audience.

 David has a long and distinguishes career as a freemason. It began when he was initiated, into Willington Lodge, at the age of 23 years and has had a continual working involvement ever since.

 The citation was the presented to David by David Hay and an outline of David’s life, career and Masonic career was given as follows:

 Having taken a very active interest in the Lodge David went on to be Master in 1976 and has since served as Secretary, Assistant Secretary and  Treasurer  at various times and is an active ritualist who helps out and fills in when other members are not available.

 In recognition of this he was awarded the position of Past Provincial Junior Grand Deacon in 1986 and was promoted to Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in 2014.

 David was always a member with a keen interest in Freemasonry and continued with this by Joining Willington Chapter in 1972. In this he was promoted Provincial Grand Steward in 2009.

 David is always known to be available to offer advice and help others and many have benefitted from his vast experience.

 Everyone then retired to the festive Board where a very enjoyable meal was served by the wives of the brethren.    

 Following the formal toasts David responded to a toast proposed to him by Geoff Dunn. He thanked everyone for their support and concluded by saying,” That we should stay healthy and enjoy the craft”.

 The raffle very commendably raised £770  of which 50% will be  donated to Durham Benevolence and %50 to Butterwick hospice.

 The evening closing and many Brethren remained to chat and enjoy the companionship and friendship which we have all missed due to the Pandemic.

Stronger Together

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A Warm Willington Welcome

On a very warm September evening, the companions of Willington Royal Arch Chapter assembled at Willington Masonic Hall to welcome the Grand Superintendent John Thompson accompanied by his provincial officers, on their first full team visit of 2023.

This was an extra special evening for the Chapter, not only being honoured with a full team visit, but also witnessing the exaltation of Ben Shirley of Willington Lodge.

The three principals opened the Chapter, with Peter Smith acting as Z for the evening. The first business was to welcome back a rejoining member, Clifford Slater. The Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies then announced that John and his team were at the door, and then followed the procession into the Chapter room.

Peter welcomed John, and his team then took their places to witness the exaltation of Ben Shirley, performed excellently by the Officers of the Chapter.

During the 2nd rising the Chapter presented John with 3 envelopes containing cheques or “promises of bank transfers”, each with £100 going to Durham Benevolence, the Durham Masonic Fishing Charity and Durham TLC. In the 3rd and 4th risings the Scribe E. read out a thank you card from Angela Hall, the wife of Alan Hall, for the gifts she had received from the Chapter for hand crafting coloured surrounds for each of the principals’ pedestals.

The Chapter was then closed, and all retired to the festive board where a meal was served befitting the special occasion, which was ably served by the members’ wives.

In response to his toast John thanked the Chapter for a wonderful evening and hoped that everyone felt rested and refreshed after the summer break. He went on to thank the Chapter for their donations and said that rather than use his usual cue cards to write his response he had been able to use the donation envelopes as there was nothing inside them, that was until he opened the one for the fishing charity which did contain a cheque.

John hoped that Ben enjoyed his exaltation ceremony and appreciated the setting of the chapter resembling the temple in Jerusalem, and the great lengths they had gone to in making the “temperature” in the room the same as it would have been in Jerusalem.

The Provincial Team were thanked by John for turning out in full and supporting him.

Stronger Together

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The Willington L4028

Willington L4028

Who are we?

The Willington Lodge No 4028 (Consecrated 1920); our history of supporting the local communities over the many years we have been in Willington is second to none. Our values today are the same as they have always been, a group who believe in Integrity, Friendship, Respect and Charity. Whilst keeping the age-old traditions of the Lodge, we incorporate modern everyday requirements to enhance membership quality and a feeling of belonging. We encourage members to get involved with social events.

What we do

We meet once a month on the Monday prior to our Wednesday meeting. This is a General-Purpose meeting where the brethren discuss topics which impact on our Lodge. All master masons belonging to The Willington Lodge are welcome. The brethren pride themselves on the commitment they give to the Lodge and what masonry stands for. We also pride ourselves on the welcome we give to our visiting brethren. During the Covid 19 pandemic things ground to a virtual halt in masonry, but we are so glad to report that now we have overcome that terrible time, we are getting back to normal and opening the doors to our many friends again.

Why join us?

The Willington Lodge 4028 was consecrated in 1920 and has always had a strong membership, which we believe is because of our attitude to masonry and what it means to the individual member, and the support we give as a group of worthy men. We pride our approach to charitable giving and will always endeavour to support local functions when we can, as well as our participation into the PGLD charities, in which we received the gold award for the 2021 festival. We have recently achieved 100 years in masonry and now display our warrant with pride.

When we meet

2nd Wednesday each Month September to June.

Installation April. 

Fees

Joining fee: £85 plus vat

Lodge subscriptions: £110

Typical dining fee: £10

Contact

 willingtonfreemasons@gmail.com  07986567005
facilities at Willington Masonic Hall
Willington Masonic LodgeWillington L4028Willington L4028

Address

72,73 and 74 High Street, Willington Crook County Durham DL15 0PF

Hall information

Directions Google Maps Hall ///superhero.pairings.kings Additional Information

Lodges that meet here

The Willington L4028

Parking: 

The Lodge is situated off the main High Street and there is parking in the vicinity to accommodate brethren and visitors.

Approach: 

The entrance is at the back of the High Street.

Entrance: 

Wide door, level entrance, doorbell.

Emergency: 

We have two staircases and either can be used to vacate the building in an emergency.

Accessibility:

Many of our meeting places were built before disabilities were fully considered; many have protected status making major adaptations difficult.

Freemasons will adapt and assist Brethren, and visitors, to fully participate and enjoy the facilities.

Toilets: 

Accessible toilets in entrance and upstairs if required.

Inside: 

No internal ramps. Dining tables are wheelchair accessible.

Stairs/Lifts: 

We have two stairways one we use in an emergency and one which is the main access to the lodge. Stair lift to temple. Stairs have handrail on one side.

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Willington Masonic Hall



Named in: 1919 Date of Warrant or Constitution: 1919 Warrant of Constitution: 3rd November 1919. Consecrated 14th April 1920.


facilities at Willington Masonic Hall
Willington Masonic LodgeWillington L4028Willington L4028

Address

72,73 and 74 High Street, Willington Crook County Durham DL15 0PF

Hall information

Directions Google Maps Hall ///superhero.pairings.kings Additional Information

Lodges that meet here

The Willington L4028

Parking: 

The Lodge is situated off the main High Street and there is parking in the vicinity to accommodate brethren and visitors.

Approach: 

The entrance is at the back of the High Street.

Entrance: 

Wide door, level entrance, doorbell.

Emergency: 

We have two staircases and either can be used to vacate the building in an emergency.

Accessibility:

Many of our meeting places were built before disabilities were fully considered; many have protected status making major adaptations difficult.

Freemasons will adapt and assist Brethren, and visitors, to fully participate and enjoy the facilities.

Toilets: 

Accessible toilets in entrance and upstairs if required.

Inside: 

No internal ramps. Dining tables are wheelchair accessible.

Stairs/Lifts: 

We have two stairways one we use in an emergency and one which is the main access to the lodge. Stair lift to temple. Stairs have handrail on one side.


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Triple Celebration | Durham Freemasons

On Wed. 14 September the Lodge once again opened its doors to welcome a Provincial Deputation, members and visitors to celebrate the Centennial celebration of the founding of the Lodge.

Attending was the Provincial Grand Master, John Paul Thompson, with his Deputation of fourteen Officers, twelve Officers of the United Grand Lodge of England, 28 Members of the Lodge and 28 visitors.

“The Willington Lodge 4028” was consecrated on 14 th April 1920 at Durham Masonic Hall by the Provincial Grand Master, The Right Honourable The Lord Ravensworth and Bishop Weldon, the Dean of Durham. At first the Lodge met in St. Stephen’s Parish Hall and in 1932 purchased the Albert Hall building and 2 shops for the total cost of £720. The Lodge has remained here having undergone various alterations and upgrades.

Since founding there have been 538 members, 97 different Worshipful Masters with three of whom having served for two years.

The Lodge was opened, and its first business was for the Provincial Canon, Julian Ward, to consecrate a new Lodge Banner and a new Lodge Bible. The Banner, having been presented by Billy Archer was created by Mrs Angela Hall and the Bible was presented by Bill Wyllie, the two brethren celebrating 50 years in Freemasonry.

John Thomson then sat with the two recipients and chatted about their personal lives and their history in Freemasonry.   William (Billy) Archer was born and lived in Hunwick. He was apprenticed as a joiner and went on to establish his business as a builder. He has three children although his wife, Pat is sadly deceased.

William Thompson Archer (Billy) joined Willington Lodge in 1971 and very quickly began to take an active part in the work of the Lodge. He took the Chair in 1985 and became DC in 1998, the year, that his son Phillip took the Chair. He is still active in the Lodge and was a founding Member of the Weardale Lodge of Installed Masters.

He was promoted to Acting Provincial Grand Superintendent of Works in 1994 and was promoted to Past Provincial Junior Grand Warden in 1999

In Willington Chapter he took the chair in 1990 and was promoted to the Provincial rank of Past Provincial Grand Scribe N in 1995.

William Henry Wyllie (Bill) was born in Willington and studied at Durham University for a degree in Philosophy and Politics. He went from there and Joined the British Army and was commissioned   serving for 17 years. During his career he has visited or lived in 46 countries working in the field of Intelligence, the Dubai police , and various consultancy positions including Chief Security Advisor to Baron George of St. Trudy the then Governor of the Bank of England .He is Chairman of Emeritus of the Security Institute and clearly has a busy retirement. This career clearly made it difficult to follow a Masonic career or attend his Lodge and for 49 years he has submitted his apologies. He has been Senior Deacon in 6 Lodges and currently is Junior Warden in Zetland Lodge 537 in the Province of Cheshire.  He is a member of Centenarian Chapter. is First Assistant Sojourner. He is also Junior Warden of St. Hilary Mark Lodge and has held various positions in the Rose Croix.

Bill is married and lives in the Wirral with his wife Annette and between them they have 5 children.

On conclusion both recipients were presented with a certificate by John the Provincial Grand Master

This was followed by Geoff Dunn reading out the first minutes of the Lodge and with the Provincial Secretary, Tom Gittens reading out the Warrant of the Lodge.

Each member of the Lodge then received their Centennial Jewel, which may only be worn by members of the Lodge and the Lodge presented John with a cheque for £500 for Durham benevolence, which as John stated,” Is our Charity”.

Everyone then retired to the festive Board where a very enjoyable meal was presented and all diners were able to use the commemorative Linen serviettes, again made by Mrs. Angela Hall.

Both recipients were then invited to say a few words. Billy Archer responded by saying “There was a very strong bond in the Lodge of friendship and companionship” and Bill Wyllie said that “He had forgotten how beautiful the Lodge was”, and reminded all present that,” The Willington Lodge was his Lodge”.

In his closing remarks John drew our attention that the history of Lodge was part of our Provincial history, and we should attempt to make Freemasonry appealing and attractive to the members.

The evening closing many Brethren remained to chat and enjoy the companionship and friendship which we have all missed due to the Pandemic

More pics here

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