Our Family Tree

During late 1920 / early 1921 a number of brethren assembled and decided to found a new Lodge
calling it New Assembly Lodge possibly taking its name from the Café Royal culture, one of many
central locations where groups of Gentlemen assembled in post war London.

On 5th February 1921 at a regular meeting of Polytechnic Lodge No 2847 it was proposed by the IPM
WBro JEK Studd, and seconded by WBro FW Heale and unanimously agreed to: –

“That this lodge [Polytechnic] do support the petition of a proposed New Lodge to be called The New
Assembly Lodge, and that the petition be signed by the Master, and Wardens in open lodge.”

Bro Cleuch LR, thanked the brethren in suitable terms. [It is quite clearly recorded in the minutes of
Polytechnic Lodge as Bro Cleuch LR, I wonder if this is an error and it was possibly WBro Clench PAGPurs who
was actively involved in obtaining the Warrant for Assembly Lodge.]

Thus, Polytechnic Lodge 2847 became our mother and sponsoring lodge. (Interestingly neither WBros
Studd and Heale nor Bro Cleuch were founding members of Assembly Lodge)

The 29 founding members are listed elsewhere, only 4 of whom were members of Polytechnic Lodge
2847 which met at the other end of Regent Street to the Café Royal at the Polytechnic Institute, 309
Regent Street. At that time Polytechnic Lodge had just short of 250 subscribing members, hardly what
is now known as a Lodge of Opportunity and may well be one of the reasons Assembly Lodge was
founded.

The ‘New’ was dropped from the name before the final petition was submitted in the name of
Assembly Lodge.