To help celebrate its 150th anniversary, the Freemasons of Tenby Lodge opened their doors to the public for the first time in their history on August 16.

On a number of evenings leading up to the open day, a team of lodge members had worked hard in repainting the dining room and ante room and having the carpets cleaned so that the interior looked as good as possible for their event. The external façade of the building, which is on South Parade, had also been repainted.

Throughout the afternoon and early evening of the open day, a diverse ‘footfall’ of men, women and children were greeted by lodge members who were dressed in full masonic regalia, and invited to inspect the various display items and Masonic artefacts on the lower floor, before being offered a ‘tour’ of the temple on the upper floor.

Senior lodge members were on hand to talk about the history of Tenby Lodge, and provide an explanation of masonic ceremonies, the layout of the temple and the significance of the various objects placed around the room.

Visitors totalled around 70 in number and included Masons from Lampeter, Llanelli, Bristol, West Lancashire, Swansea, and New Zealand, but most that came were local people who had seen the feature in the Tenby Observer publicising the event and were interested to hear about Freemasonry and look inside the building whose doors were usually closed!

Following the tour, all visitors were offered tea, cake and biscuits, and a chance to sit down and chat to the lodge members present.

A local lady kindly brought along a Grand Lodge certificate that had belonged to her late husband’s father, a John David Davies who had been initiated into Tenby Lodge in April 1942. The certificate was gratefully received into the historical records of the lodge.

The dining room was set out for the evening as it would be for dinner at a masonic meeting. Various displays were placed around the room, plus many items of interest relating to Tenby Lodge. A laptop played a DVD produced by the United Grand Lodge of England entitled ‘Freemasonry - what’s it all about?’

Children were welcome too. A teddy bears picnic table had been set-up with snacks for kids and a chance to win a teddy bear.

Everyone involved agreed that it had been a successful day, and as two or three gentlemen had shown significant interest in what they saw and heard, it is hoped that it may even result in an increase in membership!

Anyone requiring further information about Freemasonry and Tenby Lodge in particular can contact membership officer David Embra on 07985638383.