City Gate Lodge came into being ten years ago in 2013, but how did we come into being and how have we done?
On the 3rd of March 2010, members of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals were gathered at the Mansion House to celebrate the grant of a Royal Charter to the Company, and a number of Masons were present. Over drinks, a comment was made that there were Lodges formed of City Livery members so why not one aimed at security professionals. That was the conception of City Gate Lodge.
We sought to have a Lodge associated with the City of London and the Livery movement for those professionally engaged in security provision, either in the public or private arena.
At a subsequent Court meeting of the Company, it was agreed that the idea could be explored to ascertain support. A survey revealed 34 Masons wanting to form a Lodge, and another 8 wishing to be Initiated. The original 6 set the wheels in motion, however, the Company went lukewarm on the idea and gave no practical support.
Early in 2011, interested Masons held an initial committee meeting at Freemasons’ Hall, with the support of some senior London Masons, and it was decided to explore possibilities for a Security Professionals’ Lodge. The basic form of the new Lodge was discussed and agreed upon. We elected a Primus Master, a Treasurer, and a Secretary. That Executive Committee formulated a plan whilst sipping wine in the garden of the Naval and Military Club.
Metropolitan Grand Lodge were not enamoured with our proposal to create a new Lodge and wanted us to support a failing Lodge. It was a time when many Lodges were closing, but we stuck to our guns and so MetGL set a high bar in that we had to have at least 48 Founders. Our response was to widen membership to members of other Liveries that did not have their own Craft Lodge, and to include security professionals [within the WCoSP definition] who might aspire to joining the Company, resulting in 67 Founding Members.
Help was sought from other Lodges, which had previously managed to be consecrated. We learnt how that Lodge submitted a business case and Petition and the difficulties that they encountered on way.
St Catherine’s Lodge No. 3743, the Livery Lodge of The Worshipful Company of Turners, agreed to sponsor us.
In December 2011, we got our business case in, then surveyed Livery Lodge meeting venues, and decided that Butchers Hall would be a good place to meet.
On 5th July 2012, a dinner was held at Butchers Hall, when 55 eligible Masons signed a Petition, whilst another 10 said that they would become Joining Members. The Petition was submitted and by October MetGL indicated that all was in order and that the Petition has been sent to UGLE.
We were already celebrating, rather prematurely, and on 2nd November 2012 we held a second dinner at Butchers Hall when we invited guests.
We started to put together our regalia and furniture, and obtained collars, jewels and working tools from the defunct Sir Francis Drake Lodge No. 4375. Some current members had been members of that Lodge.
We had quite some trouble obtaining Ashlars however. Operative stonemasons of Portland Lodge No. 1037 in Dorset made a pair in finest Portland stone and presented them to us in November 2014. They now grace the Warden’s pedestals. Initiates receive a sharp introduction to the Lodge as our Poignard is a Commando Dagger, presented in July 2014 by our First Inner Guard, a proud Royal Marine. We borrowed gavels and blocks until November 2016 when we were presented with a set made by a Master Turner of the Turners Livery Company, which is associated with St. Catherine’s Lodge. Our Heavy Maul was presented in March 2020 by another Turner, who is one of our members, so we have history embodied in our assets.
In March 2013, MetGL said there was an administrative problem with our Petition but there was nothing we needed to do. It was indicated that it was a “timing issue”. We had to be patient.
At the end of that month, we received news that our Petition had been lost. A new one needed to be signed and our sponsors needed to reaffirm their support.
In June 2013, our Founding Secretary attended MetGL and, with the help from staff there, managed to find most of the sheets of our Petition, but many were deemed invalid because they were on the wrong sort of paper. It was obvious that we had to start from scratch again.
We immediately organised a mass re-signing at Freemasons’ Hall, and St Catherine’s Lodge held an emergency meeting there. Some Founders could not get to that mass re-signing but forms were signed and added later. Some original Founders withdrew, and we ended up with 51 Founders, three above the bar set.
On 17th July 2013, everything was done, and the Petition was formally “in”.
By September, we knew that we were getting there when we got the demand for the fee for the warrant. On 16th October 2013, our Petition was granted, and our Lodge number was 9890. A Founders’ meeting, with dinner of course, was held at Butchers Hall at which basic decisions about Lodge management were taken. Our Founders’ Document was created, which details how the Lodge will be managed. It establishes our protocols.
We named the Lodge City Gate and received our Consecration on 18th December 2013 with 51 Founders and 8 Joining members who did not qualify as Founders under the Rules set by MetGL. 291 guests attended the Consecration by MetGL in the Grand Temple.
The birth was 45 months since conception.
Why “City Gate”? Ancient City Gates were much more than physical defence. References in the Volume of the Sacred Law show that city gates and adjacent buildings were vibrant, active and important places, central to daily life, where the Court often met, where justice was dispensed, and where people interacted. So, “City Gate” seemed appropriate.
The logo design follows on naturally from the Lodge name. The gate design is based on drawings of Ludgate, one of the original gates to the City of London, and the design was created by two of the members. It was inspired.
G. Seaby
2023
