Welcome to the London Grand Rank Association Website.
On this site you will find details for contacting the Association.
The LGRA office is manned on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 10.45 a.m and 2.30 pm.
The LGRA Bulletin is downloadable from this site as a PDF. Printed copies can be sent but a charge for postage and packing will be made.
The site is at an early stage of development and at a later date lists of Lectures on Craft and the Royal Arch for self delivery will be added, together with a list of Lecturers and Information Leaflets on a range of subjects.
LGRA History
How it all began …
The 598 Brethren who received London Rank in 1908 lost no time in organising themselves. On the 29th April the following year they held a dinner at the Holborn Restaurant with a view to creating an Association within which they could exchange knowledge and opinions on matters of common interest. This was undoubtedly a colourful occasion as all those that attended wore the full dress regalia of their new rank.
A Committee and President were elected and it was agreed that they would dine together after each of the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge in much the same way as Grand Officers who were members of the Grand Officers Mess.
Quarterly Meetings
Over the intervening years, with membership having grown to around 13000, it rapidly became impractical to dine after the meetings. Dining is now restricted to Committee Members, Past Presidents, Officers and Honoured Guests. Whilst the meetings continue to attract a healthy number of members, the Association does not meet as a Lodge and all proceedings are completely informal. All new appointees to the Rank are invited to become Life Members of the Association on payment of a single modest fee and are encouraged to attend meetings. Since the very early days these were held in the Conway Hall, Red Lion Square. However, from August 1990, with the gracious permission of the then Grand Secretary, R.W.Bro. Cdr. M.B.S. Higham, they have been held in the more appropriate surroundings of Number 10 Temple in Freemasons Hall. No regalia is worn at these meetings and any matter likely to affect London and in some instances the Craft in General is brought before the members as the main topic on the Agenda. Quarterly meetings are held on the last Wednesday in the months of February, May, August and November.
Quarterly Bulletin
In the early years, occasionally, reports of meetings of the Association were given in the weekly ‘Freemasons Chronicle’. Also included was a single page ‘summons’ to meetings and the annual Festival. In 1960, it being appreciated that very few members were buying the ‘Chronicle’, extracts of meeting proceedings and notices for the next were printed and posted direct to members. From these ‘seeds’ the Quarterly Bulletin has blossomed to sixteen pages. The Bulletin is downloadable from the website and for those who wish to receive a printed copy a charge of £40.00 is made for a 5 year period. So popular has it become that copies are also sent to Bulletin Subscribers who pay the same cost as those receiving the printed copy. Any Freemason not a holder of Senior London Grand Rank, London Grand Rank or London Rank is welcome to become a Bulletin Subscriber on application and is also able to attend Quarterly Meetings. A printed copy is available for collection from the LGRA office and also available for those attending the quarterly meetings.