Thank you for visiting the website of Norman Lodge
of Freemasons No.1334, Co. Durham, under the United Grand Lodge
of England
Please leave a message in our guestbook, telling
us about your Lodge, where it is, and a little of its history.
The internet provides us with a wonderful opportunity to get to
know Masonic Brethren around the world.
We are very proud of the fact that our Lodge has
been in existence for 138 years, meeting in the same Masonic hall,
in Old Elvet, Durham City, Co. Durham, England. A city which can
trace its history back more than a thousand years, to the arrival
of a religious community seeking a permanent resting place for
the body of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne.
As a shrine for their saint, they built first a wooden, then a
stone church, on top of a rocky hill, protected on three sides
by the River Wear.
Following the Norman conquest of 1066, King William also found
this site appealing and realised it offered an ideal strategic
location from which to rule Northumbria and defend the region
against the Scots. The community of Cuthbert gave way to Benedictine
Monks and a Bishop appointed by the king. They began the building
of the Cathedral, to provide a monumental shrine for St Cuthbert,
and the Castle, to act as protection for the Cathedral and to
provide a palace for the Bishop.
The result was one of the most impressive construction
projects ever undertaken. The panoramic view of the
Cathedral
and Castle has been described as ‘one of the finest architectural
experiences of Europe’ and together they are now designated a
World Heritage Site.
As Worshipful Master of Norman Lodge for 2008 I hope to continue
the good works of my many distinguished predecessors. Our Lodge
meets 10 times a year, on the third Wednesday of the month except
July and August. We welcome visitors from Lodges around the world
working under constitutions approved by the United Grand Lodge
of England (UGLE). Please contact our
Secretary
for information if you wish to attend our Lodge meeting.
Sincere and fraternal greetings
W. Bro Alan Bainbridge
Worshipful Master
