Province of East Kent

A First for Dover Masons

35 years after their Lodge was burnt to the ground, the Dover Masons have thrown open their doors to the public for the first time in their 250 year history. The brethren, who were dressed in their full regalia, had set up their Lodge Room as though they were about to initiate a new member and visitors were able to see behind the scenes and question the Lodge members about what goes on during their ceremonies.

WBro Brian Powell, APGM, who until recently was the Chairman of the Dover Centre, gave his full support to the current Chairman, WBro Ray Veness, and WBro Keith Simpson, who organised the event with the help of local volunteers from various Dover Lodges.

“When the PGM asked me to develop a series of Open Days in the Province I immediately thought of Dover and was delighted that they agreed to take part in the initiative, “ said WBro Brian. “A great deal of hard work and preparation went into making the Open Day a success and I would like to thank all those involved for their enthusiasm, commitment and hard work.”

Thanks must also go to the Provincial Information Officer, WBro Tony Elliott. He, and local Information Officer WBro Mike Webb, made sure that the event was given the widest possible coverage in the local media, including local radio and around the town.

But it was the local volunteers who made the day. “Without their enthusiasm and help the Open Day would not have been so successful,” said WBro Keith Simpson, who was the Project Manager for the event. The Dover Centre is right to be proud of the facilities that it offers to members and although it not in a central location in the town, we had a steady stream of visitors all day”.

Two of the most distinguished visitors were the Mayor of Dover, Councillor Sue Jones and the Mayoress, Ronnie Philpott. APGM Brian Powell welcomed them to the Centre and explained that the purpose of the Open Day was to demystify the misconceptions about Freemasonry and to demonstrate that we are not a secret society. He told the Mayor about our commitment to the local community and how we provide valuable support through our charitable donations.

Among the visitors was a widow of a mason who enquired about donating her late husband’s regalia to his lodge. At first she was too emotional to be taken around the lodge room for fear of the memories that it might bring back but after chatting to one of the volunteers she eventually agreed and went away with her mind at peace. Another very welcome visitor was a lady who had embroidered the banner used by The Lodge of Peace and Harmony. She was delighted to see that it was being used for the Open Day and as you can see from the video of the event, chatted to Brian Powell about how she made it. Visitors came in all ages and one particular 6 year old took great delight in sitting in the Master’s Chair and calling the Brethren to order with the WM’s gavel. “It is stories like this that made the hard work that went into the Open Day worth while,” said Keith Simpson, the Project Manager responsible for organising the Open Day. “We may not have had as many visitors as the Canterbury Centre but what was important to us was that very one went away with a very positive impression of Freemasonry and Dover masons”.

Freemasonry has been practiced in Dover since 1761 and this is the first time that the Dover Masons have opened their centre to the public. The Lodge Room was laid out as if we were about to perform an initiation ceremony and the volunteers made sure that the visitors appreciated the significance of what they were looking at. To put the tour of the Lodge Room into context and help visitors understand the historical context of, and symbolism in, Freemasonry, we set up a specially created display area covering Freemasonry through the ages. Our thanks go to the Museum and local Lodges for their help in making the display so attractive and informative. Also to Province for the leaflets that they very kindly printed and to Provincial Stewards WBros Bob Burns and James Reuther, who manned the entrance for us and made the visitors feel welcome from the moment they stepped into the Centre.

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