Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that operates worldwide, with a Masonic Hall in Singapore on Coleman Street, amongst various lodges and groups in the nation.

History

The first Freemason lodge in Southeast Asia was established in the British Bencoolen (now Bengkulu, Indonesia) in 1765. The first lodge in Singapore, Zetland in the East Lodge No. 508 E. C., was established on 8 December 1845 at Armenian Street, later relocating to a newly constructed Masonic Hall at Coleman Street in 1879.[1][2][3]

Present day

The Hall persists to the modern day,[4] having undergone numerous renovations and restorations.[5][6] In 2008, there were an estimated 800 members.[7] The number decreased to 650 by 2018.[8] In 2019, the Lodge started a charity for underprivileged children.[9]

The Lodge in Singapore is under the charge of the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago, a unit of the United Grand Lodge of England.[10]

Notable members

References

  1. ↑ Lim, Kuang Hui (8 August 2023). The Lodge Singapore No. 7178 E. C., 1952-2002 : 50th anniversary. Lodge Singapore. p. 27. ISBN 978-9810466800.
  2. ↑ "Hush-hush world of the Freemasons". The Straits Times. Singapore. 8 December 1995. p. 8.
  3. ↑ Makepeace, Walter; Brooke, Gilbert E; Braddell, Roland St J (1991). One hundred years of Singapore. Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN 0-19-588572-4.
  4. ↑ Hao, Wan Meng (15 April 2011). Heritage Places of Singapore. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte. pp. 77–78. ISBN 9789814312950.
  5. ↑ Lee, Vanessa (19 June 2010). "Inside the Inner Sanctum". Today. Singapore. p. 2.
  6. ↑ Zechariah, Natasha Ann (8 December 2012). "Bigger home for Freemasons". The Straits Times. Singapore. pp. 14–15.
  7. ↑ Sreenivasan, Ven (8 December 2008). "Veil Lifts a Tad on a Fascinating Social Network". Business Times. Singapore. p. 8.
  8. ↑ "The Freemasons of Singapore: Opening up to the modern world". Yahoo News. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Neo, Renee (7 June 2019). "Freemasons go public about their new charitable foundation for needy students in Singapore". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "South East Asia History". DGLEA.net. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
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