The Visitor
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Arena is delighted to welcome back The Visitor, now in the capable hands of W Bro Lance Tucker.
Having gone through the Chair last year from March 25/26 and visited over 50 Lodges in that time. It’s been picked up on, that I might be a good candidate to take up the mantle of ‘The Visitor’.
Three of my favourite visits from March just gone all happened within the space of four days, in what was a brilliant long weekend of friendship and fun.
Chelsea Lodge No 3098
It started with Chelsea Lodge No3098 on Friday 20th, with a planned meet up with five visiting Norwegian Brethren, two of whom I’d met at Chelsea the previous year. We had so much fun at the last meeting that we decided to make it an annual event. I’d stayed out all night with them the previous year and they ended up accompanying me to another Lodge the following day. Needless to say, we formed a great friendship and wanted to stay in touch.
This year, as I knew Chelsea were conducting an Initiation through the Welcome Project, I decided to book us into Mark Masons' Hall for a Raising on the Saturday, to give them an experience of a different ritual and London Masonic Hall.
Our morning at Chelsea Lodge couldn’t have started any better. As soon as the DC spotted the colourful Norwegian regalia behind the SW’s pedestal with an obscured view, we were treated like royalty and invited to the East, to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the proceedings.
A very poignant moment, at the start of the meeting, was to celebrate the life of the great snooker player, commentator and TV host John Virgo, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the UK Snooker Championship a few years ago. Being a lifelong snooker fan, it was lovely to see that he was held in such high regard amongst the Brethren.
Prior to the Initiation, the presentation of a 60-year certificate to W Bro Freddie Davies, for his long service and dedication to Freemasonry was delivered in the good humour that you would expect from the ‘Entertainers’ Lodge’. A wonderful thing to witness, as I’m sure this achievement doesn’t happen very often.
The Chelsea Initiation at FMH was incredible. Ben Emberley presiding in the Chair was impeccable as WM. The only thing I could pick him up on was that the warrant was presented upside down, which thoroughly amused the 100+ attendees. As was the JD’s slip of presenting the Initiate as a Fellowcraft during part of the ceremony.
It’s a very special moment for any new Brother to be welcomed into our Fraternity, but to have your ceremony conducted in Temple 10, to such high standards and then to be restored to light with over 100 Masons in the Temple, must have been an incredible feeling for the Candidate.
The superb standard of ceremony continued throughout the morning, with the DC delivering the Preamble, Charge and 1st degree tracing Board. I know all three of these pieces in West End workings, but to witness them in Logic was something very special indeed. I would highly recommend visiting any Logic Lodge if you have yet to do so.
Most Masons are well aware of the Festive Board Cabaret laid on by Chelsea after the meeting; and this one didn’t disappoint. A wonderful song to the Initiate was delivered; which I believe is unique to this particular Lodge as it was written by one of their late members some years ago. With a few toasts, then the entertainment began and we were treated to some live music and a classical rendition of Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’.
Rather than holding a raffle, Chelsea conducts an Auction, where they raise a good sum of money through the very clever auctioneering tactics of W Bro Miki Travis. All I will say is, once your hand is raised, be prepared to be picked on. He kept everyone in great spirits throughout the course of the evening.
The drinks flowed well into the night again and the five Norwegian Brethren thoroughly enjoyed their time at Chelsea Lodge as much as I did. I’m hoping that, through the Kent Club, we can arrange a group visit to Norway sometime next year. If any of you would be interested, please get in touch and I’ll include you in the arrangements.
Once we’d parted company, it was off to the Z hotel in Holborn for me. I was very sceptical about the accommodation, as it was a room with no window, but this actually meant I had the best night’s sleep ever, because the room was so dark and quiet.
Military Lodge No 2621
The next day it was up and at ‘em for an 11am start at MMH, for a visit to Military Lodge No 2621 – feeling rather refreshed and rested despite the copious amounts of wine & gin from the previous evening. We all arrived at MMH at the same time – it was almost like we’d planned it. The Norwegian Brethren were taking photos of the outside of the building when I arrived; it is in a beautiful location at the bottom end of St. James’s St, right next to St. James’s Palace.
We enjoyed a brief catch up and a coffee in the Bar before the Norwegians were formally proved by the JW of the Lodge. An experience that I’ve never witnessed before.
The Third Degree ceremony was carried out to a very high standard; and what this Lodge lacked in numbers compared to Chelsea, they certainly made up for in experience and gusto. I obviously can’t disclose any of the ceremony itself, but let’s just say it was quite nice that the Norwegians witnessed it at MMH, where the curtains let a certain amount of light in, on a very bright day, which meant they could enjoy witnessing the ceremony in full.
The Brethren of the Lodge couldn’t have been friendlier and any more engaging with our overseas guests, gifting each of them a jewel holder, with the Lodge name and number appearing. I was also lucky enough to be given one and have been wearing it with pride ever since.
During an informal part of the meeting, the meanings and symbolism of the Norwegians’ regalia was explained to the Military Lodge members, as they all wear their specific degree aprons. The names and rank of each member are listed below, provided by Hakon, in the good humour that I’ve become accustomed to. When a higher degree was being explained, the lower ranked Brethren covered their ears and eyes, which was quite amusing.
- Stein Bernt Helland, X Degree (“Colonel Sanders”)
- Kai Gunnar Jore, X Degree (“Glasses”)
- Kjell Gautestad, IV/V Degree (“pirate regalia”)
- Thomas Løkken, VII Degree (“Tall, beard”)
- Håkon Tobro, VI Degree (“Tall, ginger”)
The festive Board that followed was as enjoyable as any, with lots of conversation about the differences between our ritual. One thing that stood out was just how committed the Norwegians are to their Freemasonry, with Lodges meeting up once every 2 weeks. Having made lots of new friends, we mentioned that this was going to be an annual occurrence and have been invited to join the Military Lodge again next March.
We retired to the bar to enjoy a few drinks and to say our goodbyes, as I was getting the train back home that evening. The Norwegians, however, carried on enjoying the fantastic hospitality of the Military Brethren at the Union Jack Club. Upon departure, I was gifted a very nice set of cufflinks by Håkon as a parting gift, which I thought was an incredibly generous gesture.
St Botolph’s Lodge No 2020
After a well-deserved day of rest, I was on the train to London again on Monday morning. I’d been anticipating this meeting for some time, as it was to witness my good friend Adarsh Shah being Installed as WM of St. Botolph’s Lodge No 2020 at FMH. Being the incredibly likeable man that he is, the attendance was fantastic and we were treated to another meeting in Temple Room 10.
I can genuinely say, I’ve never been so moved emotionally at any other Lodge meeting, as you could tell that this meant the world to Adarsh, having all of his close Masonic friends there to support him. I had the privilege of delivering the Address to the Brethren which was very well received, as I did the West End version, which many of the Brethren hadn’t heard before.
The Very Worshipful Rev. Tim L’Estrange attended the Installation as a personal guest of W Bro Adarsh Shah, who was being installed as Master for the first time.
During his reply on behalf of the visitors at the Festive Board, Tim shared a wonderful surprise. Over 25 years ago, while serving as the parish priest of St Botolph’s, the church bells needed significant repairs and funds had to be raised. Remembering the connection between St Botolph and the Lodge, he wrote to the Brethren to see if they might be able to help.
Thanks to a generous donation from the Lodge, the fundraising target was reached. At the time, Tim promised that one day he would visit St Botolph’s Lodge to say thank you.
Twenty-five years later, he fulfilled that promise, delighting everyone by sharing the story at Adarsh’s Installation; a touching reminder that promises made are sometimes simply waiting for the right moment to be kept – and what an occasion he chose to visit!
Also in attendance was an oversees visitor from Massachusetts, who surprised Adarsh with a sterling silver lapel pin to mark the date of his installation.
All in all, I offer you three very different Lodges, all of which are both hospitable and incredible in their own right and worth a visit for so many reasons.
This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 61 – Summer 2026.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in Arena Issue 61 here.
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