The first meeting of Portsdown Lodge No 4356 was held at Cosham in the Boys School Room in the High Street on the first Wednesday in January 1922. At that first meeting eleven candidates were balloted and three of them were initiated that evening. After the meeting those present crossed the road for supper at the George and Dragon, an Old Coaching Inn. Both buildings have since been replaced with modern shops in the pedestrianised part of the street.

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The lodge had been consecrated the month before on 5th December 1921 at the original masonic hall in Lake Road which was destroyed by bombing in World War Two. The lodge was sponsored by King Edward V11 Lodge No.3816 with 66 founding members who each paid a Founders Fee of five guineas. Four of the founders were knights of the realm including Worshipful Brother Sir John Brickwood, head of the well-known local brewery. After the consecration a banquet was provided at what was then Portsmouth Town Hall at a cost of fifteen shillings or seventy-five pence. The chosen lodge motto was “Sic vos non vobis” which I understand means “Even you yourselves are not for yourselves”

 

Freemasonry in Portsmouth had been growing very rapidly since the end of World War One and hence there was a demand for new lodges. An interesting rule of Portsdown Lodge was that candidates for initiation must reside north of Ports Bridge.

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During its first year the lodge held meetings twice every month. Tyling was usually at 4pm and during that year there were 28 initiates, 23 whom were passed to second degree and 19 raised to the 3rd degree by the end of that year.

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Over the next five years another sixty candidates were initiated. Double ceremonies were normal and on eleven occasions all three degrees were worked on one evening and there was still a backlog of candidates.

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Despite the financial problems of the 1930s lodge membership continued to grow and even accelerated after the Second World War so that by 1948 membership stood at 140 and a limit of 3 new candidates per year was agreed. Membership started to drop after the 1960s but in 1980 there were still 110 subscribing members. This reduction continued until plateauing at about 40 to 50.

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From the earliest days of the lodge part of the initiation fees were placed in a building fund so that in 1932 this land bordering Park Lane could be purchased for £620. Meetings were then held in a rather dilapidated wooden building standing where we now have our car park. In 1935 this Masonic Hall was built at a cost of £3510. Later additions have included extensions to provide the bar and lounge, and enlarged kitchen area, a passenger lift, disabled toilet, and air conditioning.

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In 1937 Arthurian Lodge No.5658 joined us and there are now nearly 40 lodges and chapters using the building, including one lady’s lodge.

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The building escaped the second world war with only little damage to the roof but our early minute books which had been placed in the vaults of the Guildhall for safety actually suffered severe damage when that building was totally destroyed.

 

For most of the war, we shared the building with Cosham Platoon of the Home Guard but fortunately the officer in command was one Major Teddy Hillison a lodge member who required his soldiers to remove their boots when parading on the dance floor.

 

This lodge has sponsored three other lodges. Wayfarers Lodge No. 5740 and Cosham Lodge No.6912 both still meet in this building while Bishops Waltham Lodge No.8190 meets at Botley.