By Emyr Davies

Saturday afternoon on the 20th February 2010 will remain vivid in the minds of the Brethren of Peterwell Lodge No 4713 for many, many years to come.  After a long 85 years they now have their own Masonic Hall.  They have worked incredibly hard to raise the funds to build this structure.  Our hats should be raised to them.

The Masonic Hall, Lampeter– has a very pleasant ring to it.  It has been a very long time coming, 85 years in all…  Dedication in March 1925 with 19 founder members, Peterwell Lodge has had many homes, often referred to by brethren of the Province as the nomadic lodge.  Its first home was in Lampeter College using the West Lecture

Room in the Canterbury Building, meeting six times a year coinciding with the college vacations, and holding the Festive Boards at the college dining hall.  This arrangement was enjoyed up until 1939, then war broke out and the Canterbury Buildings were taken over by Wycliffe School, which had been evacuated from

Gloucester.  The Lodge eventually found a suitable room at Bryn Road School holding their first meeting on Friday 15th December 1939.  Thursday, the regular day for the Lodge was changed to Friday, as this was the only date available to them by the school.  Due to food rationing and difficulties with outside catering during the war years, members had to forgo the Festive Board, yet Lodge meetings were well attended.  On 29th September 1945, a dispensation was granted to the Brethren of Peterwell Lodge to hold their meetings at Shiloh Chapel Vestry.  The Festive Board was held at the Black Lion and later the Castle Hotel.  In 1989, after spending 44 years at Shiloh Vestry, the Lodge was asked to leave the premises due to the anti Masonic felling prevailing within the Methodist Church at that time.  As a result Peterwell Lodge moved to Aeron Lodge, Aberaeron in November 1989.

However, there was always a yearning amongst most of the Brethren to return to Lampeter, so that when a suitable room became available at the Black Lion Hotel, the move was made back to Lampeter on the 20th February 1997.  The move back to Lampeter was short lived and Peterwell was once again thankful for the generosity and hospitality of the Brethren of Aeron Lodge and on 20^th May 1999 a move was made back to Aberaeron until May 2005.  Lampeter still pulled on the heartstrings of the members of Peterwell Lodge, and when a room became available at the College, the opportunity to move back to our original home was too good to miss.  On September 15th 2005 the first meeting was held.  An occurrence of significant importance happened in 2006 when Peterwell Lodge bought the British Legion Hall in Lampeter.  This was demolished and the foundation stone was well and truly laid in August 2008 by our senior Past Master, W. Bro. Vincent Evans. 

W. Bro. John Evans of Britannia Lodge, Sheffield, became the first Master and he brought with him the Sheffield workings, which Peterwell adopted.  Ceredigion County Council gave a substantial grant, which enabled completion of the building project sooner than envisaged.  In return for their generosity many local organisations can take advantage of the facilities offered by the new hall, and that will bring together the people of the area and Freemasonry closer together.