JUBILEE LODGE No 5555

The petition for Jubilee Lodge No 5555 was signed in the Lodge of Unanimity

No 113 at its May meeting in 1935 and the main organiser of the new lodge was George Oakey who was a member of the Lodge of Unanimity.  George Oakey was to be the first Master of Jubilee Lodge, but sadly before the lodge was consecrated he died.  The name chosen for the new lodge was Jubilee, as its foundation coincided with King Geoge V's own Silver Jubilee celebrations.

The consecration of Jubilee Lodge, the 300^th lodge in the Province of Lancashire, Western Division, took place at the Bull & Royal Hotel on 30 October 1935 under the auspices of Arthur Foster, Pr G M and William Hargreaves was first Senior Warden and Arthur Page the first Junior Warden.

On 6 April 1938, Albert Hesketh presented the banner formally to the lodge and gave an explanation of the design.  Two Corinthian pillars, which was based on that of the Athenaeum in Greece and in the centre was seated the King with the Royal Standard and Union Jack, as well as symbols of the Empire.  The sun and moon as well as the square pavement are depicted, whilst in the centre of the pillars is the badge of Jubilee lodge shown above: the scene at Buckingham Palace on the Jubilee night.  The Lancashire rose depicted has five petals, the only numeral present in the lodge number of 5555. 

The lodge was also in communication with another Jubilee Lodge No 5582 in Kitwe, Zambia (formally Northern Rhodesia).

There was no lodge meeting held in October 1939 because Grand Lodge temporarily suspended all lodge meetings, but the suspension was lifted for the following month.  Over halfway through the Second World War it was Jubilee Lodge that signed the petition for the formation of the next new lodge in Preston, Good Fellowship, at its meeting on 2 June 1943, where Jubilee provided five of the twenty petitioners.  The lodge also heartily endorsed the provision of a Masonic Temple in the town and was one of the first to hold a meeting at Saul Street on 6 September 1944.  The year 1948 was even busier, with Jubilee Lodge receiving consent to form a Royal Arch Chapter of the same name in April and seven months later signing the petition for another new lodge, Olympia Lodge No 6812, at the November meeting.  This time providing half of the eighteen Founders.

Extracted with W Bro Richard Johnson's permission from his excellent book, "Preston Radiant".  

Jubilee Lodge No. 5555

meets at Ashlar House, Saul Street, Preston

On 1st Wednesday, September to May
(Installation - March)

for further information please e-mail the following:

webmaster@prestongroup.org.uk