On 26th June 2015 Bulwer Lodge of Cairo celebrated its 150th year with a thanksgiving evening at The Beaconsfield Centre.
Our Provincial Grand Master, RW Gordon Robertson, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master and all three Assistant Provincial Grand Masters were present, along with many of the Provincial Executive. A splendid evening was enjoyed by all with many ladies being invited into the Lodge to listen to Provincial Grand Chaplain Peter Waterson presenting a history of the lodge which had been prepared by W Bro Vic Dorman. A most convivial white table dinner was held afterwards.
A précis of the history is reproduced below.
Bulwer Lodge of Cairo was consecrated in 1865 at the Kasr el Nooja Palace on Shoubra Road, the home of Yacoub Cattaui Pasha, a wealthy Jewish member of the Egyptian government. Its primus master was Carl Antonio Verdi.
The Lodge thrived and, at this time, most of the members were either diplomats or military men although there was a small number of other professions, including a doctor and a banker.
On 19th March 1869, His Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, and his retinue visited Bulwer Lodge of Cairo. It was the first, and reputedly the only, Lodge that he ever visited officially after his initiation.
Over the years, the Lodge has had many eminent members including three winners of the Victoria Cross. During its time in Egypt, Bulwer Lodge of Cairo sponsored six new Lodges. There is, however, a seventh which had a very interesting beginning. During the time of the short-lived National Grand Lodge of Egypt, English Masons were banned from forming any new Lodges. By this time, Bulwer had such a large membership that the wait for the chair was longer than the life expectancy of most members. To get around this, members of Bulwer took over an ailing Greek Lodge called Hellas. It has the unique status of being opened in Greek as Hellas Lodge and closed in English as Grecia Lodge.
By the end of the 1940s, the Lodge was so busy that it not only held its ten regular meetings but often two or three emergency meetings each year. However, as the ’50s progressed and storm clouds gathered over Suez, many members returned to the UK and it is recorded that, at one meeting in 1955, only seven members were present and no guests. The final meeting in Cairo was held on 7th June 1956 and the minutes of that meeting were never confirmed by the Worshipful Master; and so Bulwer Lodge of Cairo came to the end of its time in Egypt.
An Informal Meeting was held at 85 Lancaster Gate, London on 3rd February 1958. It was proposed and accepted unanimously that approval should be sought for the Lodge to meet in London as, in the present circumstances, it could not meet in Cairo. W Bro L. E. Thirkettle had recovered the Warrant from Cairo, it being the original Warrant of Confirmation from 1895 and signed by “Albert Edward, Prince of Wales”. Sadly, it is now too fragile to be displayed.
By 1979, the majority of members were working at Heathrow and a decision was made to move out of London to Slough. Its first meeting there was held on October 26th. It was at this time that Bulwer Chapter was detached from the Lodge and renamed Grecia Chapter as it was not possible to have a Lodge meeting in Bucks and a Chapter of the same name meeting in London.
Towards the end of the 20th Century, the active membership of the Lodge had declined to a point where its viability was beginning to be questionable. Although the Lodge had 24 members, only around 14 attended meetings regularly. The then Secretary set up the first Lodge web site in Buckinghamshire and it soon produced its first candidate – Darren Hayday. Darren brought in a couple of younger candidates and the lodge now has in excess of 30 members, nearly all of whom are active.
In 1999, the Lodge decided to move to Beaconsfield. Since then, the Lodge has been very involved in the running and refurbishment of the Centre and has, it is hoped, found its final home – the 13th in its long history!