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