History
LODGE CONCORD GLASGOW
ON THE ROLL OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND
“Lodge Concord 1341 loved by each and everyone Brothers we will stand and Brother we all fall we all meet together in the Knightswood Hall.”
These words were penned by Brother Robert Goodwin Past Master while sitting in an armed security van delivering cash to banks, and sums up the whole Ethos of Lodge Concord. Early in 1924 Brethren who lived in the Cowcaddens area of Glasgow were getting concerned that there was no Lodge in their district and they believed this was to the detriment of the area. While attending Lodge Maryhill and Lodge Springburn members started to debate the possibility of forming a Lodge and they set about finding what numbers of Brethren were prepared to form a new Lodge and quickly found they had about forty men who were willing to form a Lodge in the Cowcaddens area of Glasgow. Word was put about and some leaflets printed stating a meeting was to be held in Sloan’s Tearooms in the Argyll Arcade and interested members were invited to attend, these meetings grew in number that another venue was looked for and eventually secured in the Glasgow Veterinary Collage. With the help of the Secretary of The Lodge of Glasgow St Mungo’s No27 committees were set up to test the feelings regards to forming a new Lodge and it became apparent the feeling was very enthusiastic, so other committees were formed regarding a suitable venue for the new Lodge, various places were looked at in and around the area and at one meeting a member suggested approaching The Glasgow Corporation regarding the new hall being built the “Woodside Halls“ right in the centre of Cowcaddens The Committee approached the Corporation and they found them to be in favour so they approached the builders and found the chief architect was a Mason and he informed them the top hall was designed with a Lodge in mind The Committee was given a sneak look at the building and found it to be just what they wanted, the other Committees looked at finance and ways and means off furnishing the new Lodge. A petition was prepared and forwarded to The Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburgh expressing a wish to form a Lodge within the Provence of the Provincial Grand Lodge Glasgow and that the name preferred would be Lodge Cowcaddens. On the 6th August 1925 Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburgh approved the application and subsequent Number given was No 1341 the Lodge delayed its consecration till the New Hall was opened. The Lodge was then consecrated on October 1925; Lodge Cowcaddens was the first to let the Hall.
The Lodge left then The Woodside Halls in 1970 and moved into Lodge Queen Margaret Lodge 1440 in Ashley Street and stayed there till 1975, when the Lodge moved to Lodge St Andrews No 465’s Halls in Alexandra Parade and remained there till 1980, when it moved to Lodge Knighthood lodge 1445 in Priory Road Knightswood and have been there to the present day.
The Lodge was very successful and the visiting of the Lodge was so good that Lodges within and outwith the Province wanted the Lodge to confer Degrees.
The Lodge used the standard “D.M. Goudielock Ritual” and with our new colour of Blue and Gold Lodge Cowcaddens was indeed a credit to the area. The Lodge was working well and towards the 1930 they saw that some people were reluctant to come into the area as it was getting a bad reputation due to the run down of standards in the area, a “Notice of Motion” was put before the Lodge to have the name changed. An Extra Ordinary General Meeting was called in 1933 to change the Lodge name, and several names were circulated like Windsor and Phoenix due to a great number of Brethren working in the Phoenix Iron Foundry, other names were Lodge Normal after the Normal School which was a College of Excellence and a Teacher Training School.
At the meeting members arrived very early as it was believed this meeting was going to take some time to complete, one member who arrived was the Assistant Organist at Glasgow Cathedral and he sat beside a Brother called Hugh Stewart he informed Bro Stewart that he had a name for the Lodge it is Concord a musical term meaning harmony. Brother Stewart said you “propose it and I will second it.” The meeting was opened at 7. 00pm and the Lodge was full when they came to names or names he asked for one to propose and one to second the name, Concord was first to be put before the Brethren, the Master asked for any other names none were put forward so the name Concord was adopted the members were out in the street quicker than a Grand Lodge Meeting. The Lodge has travelled outside of the Province and indeed the country, the Lodge has conferred exemplification Degrees twice at the Home Services Lodge in Twickenham and is a regular visitor the St Denials Lodge in North Wales. The Lodge has been blessed with Brethren who have served the Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow with distinguishing Bro George Alexander Lindsay McEwan P.M. who sadly passed to the Grand Lodge above in 2016, was Installed as the Provincial Grand Master Mason of Glasgow in 1994 and Bro Allan Jenkins P.M. was Installed as Senior Warden of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Glasgow in 2012 and in 2014 he was commissioned as a Substitute Provincial Grand Master of Glasgow other Brothers of the Lodge in the past have served on various committees.
Although the Lodge is small in numbers it is however big in Friendship and those who come to visit us are received as Brothers and treated as friends, Masons are made in the Lodge; Friendships are made at the Harmony Board some of these friendships have lasted for a life time.
