The Cloisters Call

On a beautiful Sunny day on Saturday 6th April, the District Grand Prefect for Surrey R.W. Bro John French, accompanied by his deputy W.Bro Bob Tuthill and W.Bro Ray Seeley, the District Grand Treasurer, drove up to Letchworth Garden City to attend the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Annual District Meeting.


We were warmly welcomed by the District Grand Prefect for Herts and Beds R.W. Bro Geoffrey Cheshire who presided over a most enjoyable meeting. The highlight of this visit is the outstanding and unusual Masonic building called The Cloisters which was built in 1905 as an open-air school dedicated to Psychology and where students were taught skills from the Arts and Crafts movement . After a period of neglect during World War II. The Cloisters became the North Hertfordshire Masonic Centre in 1951.



The Cloisters was built by Quaker Miss Annie Jane Lawrence (16 April 1863 – 3 August 1953). As a young woman she undertook social work in the slums of London, which urged her on to action. Lawrence decided to build a centre dedicated as a school of thought from which adults could go out and effect social change. She chose Letchworth because it was the world's First Garden City; here she leased three acres of land on which she built The Cloisters and Cloisters Lodge, intending that the former should be a School of Philosophy while she lived in the latter.



It was nice for R.W. Bro John French to catch up with the  District Grand Prefects from other Districts and the Deputy Grand Master RW Bro Ian Bailey.

Overall a most enjoyable day

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