Vitruvian Lodge No 338 -
Vitruvian Lodge is the second oldest active Lodge of Freemasons in Herefordshire,
having been founded in 1813, although there are records of Freemasons meeting in
Ross in the late 18th century.
Its early meetings were held in the Royal and Swan Hotels and an interesting record of those early days is an engraving of the Square and Compasses (the universal emblem representing Freemasons) in the cellar of the Royal Hotel bearing a date interpreted as 1837. However, the Lodge currently meets in the Masonic Hall just below the Royal Hotel which former members of Vitruvian Lodge purchased in 1928. This building was first built as a British and Foreign School on land purchased for this purpose in 1837 from a Mrs Ann Tristram who could have been the daughter of the Lodge’s first Master, thus making an interesting link between present and past.
The Lodge takes its name, one that it shares with one other Lodge in English Freemasonry,
from Marcus Vitruvius Pollio who practiced as an architect in the time of Julius
and Augustus Caesar, thus making another link with history and tradition and reflecting
the presence of Roman remains near Weston-
The Lodge currently has just over 50 subscribing members who meet eight times a year and who support a Lodge of Instruction, the purpose of which is to promote friendship and to learn Masonic ritual in a relaxed and informal manner. Anyone interested in joining Vitruvian Lodge either as an existing Freemason who has come to live in the area or as a newcomer to Freemasonry is invited to contact the Lodge Secretary by email here or by telephone on 01989 565517.