Consecration Date
24th July 1930
Meeting Dates
- 3rd Saturday in March
- 1st Saturday in June
- 2nd Saturday in September
- 2nd Saturday in December
Meeting Time
15:30 (3:30pm)
The Lodge today
Walnut Tree Lodge No.5192 has a reputation as a "family lodge" with many of our members being "Lewises" (sons of Freemasons), or being related to either departed members or senior members of the lodge. Our current Master is the nephew of one of our longstanding members of 50 years, our immediate Past Master is the nephew of one of our departed members, our Secretary, Director of Ceremonies, Charity Steward, Mentor, Membership Officer, and Inner Guard are all Lewises and our Almoner is the son-in-law of our departed Almoner. There are many other family connections within the lodge including uncles and nephews, all of whom have introduced close friends to the lodge. We have a consistent and solid membership of over 30 Brethren and continue to encourage membership from our close family and network of friends which has led to Walnut Tree being recognised as a friendly and welcoming lodge with members of varying ages and from many different walks of life.
Our history
Consecrated in 1930 and named after Walnut Tree House, the site on which the Masonic Centre where our meetings are held, Walnut Tree Lodge is one of the better known and respected Lodges within the Halsey Masonic Centre and the Province of Hertfordshire. We meet four times a year: the third Saturday in March, first Saturday in June (Installation Meeting) and the second Saturday in September and December. New members are welcomed very warmly. All potential new members are invited to meet very informally at casual social evenings, perhaps a drink and a chat at Halsey Masonic Centre, where they can meet and chat to our members. If a potential member joins us then they already know and have friendly relationships with many of the other members through these social gatherings. We encourage all members to join us at our regular social events including quiz nights, race nights, casino nights, Lodge of Instruction dinners, Ladies Festivals, white table events, barbeques etc. and also strongly encourage their wives, partners or girlfriends to join us on these occasions. We also encourage new members to regularly attend Lodge of Instruction to which we regularly attract between 10 and 15 Brethren. Walnut Tree Lodge has a reputation for the high standard of our ceremonies. We hold Lodge of Instruction every Thursday evening where we regularly invite the ley Brethren to occupy some of the senior offices in order to help them hone their ceremonial skills. This assists them greatly later in their Masonic pathway when they occupy these offices permanently in the Lodge.
In the community
Walnut Tree Lodge prefers to support local charities and has done so for many years. We do not make donations to any specific charity but prefer to direct our funds to those who may need our assistance at that time. Last winter we made significant donations towards the "Food Bank Appeal" implemented by the Province and directed our donation particularly towards the Broxbourne Food Bank. We supported the recent "Beer Festival" held at Halsey Hall which raised significant funds for two local charities "Teens Unite" and "Mind over Cancer". The Provincial Charity Steward has regularly congratulated us on our charitable activities both locally and further afield and we have already made a large donation towards the forthcoming 2030 Festival to which we intend to be major contributors in the year when Walnut Tree Lodge celebrate our Centenary year. We have also made significant donations to such charities as Pancreatic Cancer UK, Alzheimer’s UK, McMillan Nurses, We have groups who attend local events including memorial services for "Armistice Day", Carol Services, Lights of Love (Isabel Hospice) and many others. Our current Masters’ chosen charity for his year in Office is “Always Bee You”. Based locally in Ware, Hertfordshire this charity provides support and activities for adults with learning disabilities. This is a very caring and unique charity which delivers a comprehensive range of facilities for it’s members who enjoy such events as arts and craft classes, days out, historical visits, themed club nights, picnics to name but a few. Our Junior Deacon is a Trustee of this charity and our Director of Ceremonies’ daughter enjoys the benefits of this wonderful organisation to the full.
Testimonials
Having recently stepped back from Masonic activities due to ill health I was honoured to be nominated for “Honorary Membership” of Walnut Tree Lodge and accepted the invitation to join the Brethren at a recent meeting. I didn’t realise just how much I missed the camaraderie of the lodge and had a fantastic day and evening spent in the company of some real friends. I look forward to joining you again soon. W. Bro Ted Mottram. Member of 35 years.
Having been a Freemason for 48 years, without ever progressing to the office of Master (due to personal and work commitments), I was encouraged by the Brethren to progress through the offices when I retired in 2018. I was honoured to be elected as Master for the year 2023-2024 and enjoyed a memorable year culminating in a Ladies Festival held in Bournemouth where my Lady and I celebrated with an invited group in style. Thank you to all the members for their faith in me and their support during my year. W. Bro. Martin Kemspell. Member of 48 years.
Other info
The Lodge regularly holds social events outside of our regular masonic activities to which everybody is invited. These events include dinner and dances, discos, quiz nights, race nights and our largest extra curricular event our Lodge of Instruction Dinner which takes place on the first Thursday of November every year. We regularly attract in excess of 100 guests to this event, all male and both masons and non-masons. This has in the past had the happy effect of attracting new members and still continues to stimulate interest in the Craft in general and Walnut Tree Lodge in particular.
We have a “private Facebook” page which is by invitation only and keeps the members informed of anything that is going on in between our regular meetings. We also have a “public Facebook” page which can be viewed by a wider audience and which keeps others up to date about our various extra-curricular activities. For more regular communication between the members we have a “WhatsApp” group which is well used by all.
Contact details
Nick Burns – Lodge Secretary
nickburns62@gmail.com