Taurus Lodge

February 10th saw the installation meeting of North East Corner Lodge No 6461, part of the 86 Craft Lodge Association of Craft Lodges, at Mark Masons’ Hall.

In the glorious surroundings of the Grand Temple, 80 Brethren gathered to install W Bro Paddy Cooper into his first Masonic chair, and put its best foot forward in the presence of a plethora of distinguished guests including Past Deputy Grand Master Sir David Wootton, Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master VW Bro Julian Soper, Assistant Metropolitan Grand Master VW Bro Ian Clark and six current, incoming or past Metropolitan Grand Inspectors.

The Lodge took time early in proceedings to recognise the promotion of their Secretary, W Bro Peter Kersley LGR to the active role of Metropolitan Junior Grand Deacon, with congratulations offered from across those present, not least his father, W Bro John Kersley LGR.

Given the turnout and the profile of some of those in attendance, the Installing Master, W Bro Chris Brown LGR, found himself in a considerable spotlight and rose to the occasion with a most moving delivery of the obligations and Inner Workings; and placed his successor in the Chair of King Solomon with tremendous sincerity and good humour.

After the new WM invested his Officers and the Lodge concluded its business, the Brethren retired to the bar and later to the Albany and Hertford rooms for an excellent celebratory dinner.

At the Festive Board, W Bro Paddy, the newly installed Worshipful Master, delivered the most profound and thought-provoking Response to the Master's Toast to which I’ve had the privilege to bear witness in my 33 years as a Freemason. Below are some excerpts from that response.

"At North East Corner Lodge, we are a team, a brotherhood of equals with each other’s wellbeing at our hearts’ core. You will often hear said, warmly and jokingly of course, the phrase "We got away with it again" at the end of our meetings. I take it in the spirit it’s intended of course, but it really does sell short what North East Corner is: a small Lodge with a big heart which consistently punches above its weight in the Temple and out…"

"We need to consider who we were if we are to recalibrate who we are into that which we should be – consider those we seek to emulate and from whom our principles and storylines are derived – those medieval stonemasons and engineers of antiquity. Think of it – rough-handed, illiterate, skilled but not schooled, certainly not of the comfortable classes or polite society. These men would never have been allowed over the door of Brooks’ or the East India Clubs – some of them may even have got chucked out of a Wetherspoons' if they were here today. But they gave us the beauty of our cathedrals where, with the simple mallet and the rude chisel, they made countless generations believe that it was in their power to touch the very face of God… Would we take them in as a candidate now? Would we let them sit at our Festive Board? It gives me huge pride to say that I think, in North East Corner, we most certainly would. But these are the people – those who respect the comfort tradition brings but are not enslaved to it; those who have their eyes to the mysteries above but live very much in the unmannered heart of the real world – these are the people who will sustain this organisation, if we just engage them by engaging with those people, places and things closest to them.  I believe in us all, here in this room and throughout our organisation".

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 57 Spring 2025 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 57 here.