Lodge building nears 150 years

Passing through Winchester, you may have noticed the yellow coloured neoclassical building on the east side of the main road.

This is the Winchester Masonic Lodge, and it is one of the oldest lodge buildings in the country that is still in Masonic use.

On June 15, 1877, four Masons met in the former Winchester Hotel to discuss establishing a Freemasons Lodge in the area. The first official meeting was held on September 3, 1877, and in 1878 they purchased the land for £40, and engaged Timaru architect Daniel West to design them a building.

The lodge has a simple classical temple frontage with doric order pilasters supporting entablature and triangular pediment above. This temple-front fac¸ ade is characteristic of many Masonic lodges built throughout New Zealand during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Originally, this main facade had a symmetrical frontage with a central arched doorway flanked by rectangular windows either side.

The building was described as an ‘‘ornament to the town’’ when it was nearing completion in March 1879. The new building was officially consecrated as a Lodge (Lodge No 1737) on June 24, 1879. Constructed of rendered concrete and brick, it was built by James Radford, a local bricklayer and plasterer, at a cost of £365.

The Winchester Masonic Lodge is still in active use today, with monthly meetings held in the same building. In 2012 it also became home to the newly-established Lodge Arowhenua (Lodge No 473).

– Nigel Gilkison