W Bro Sidney Drew originally had the idea of founding this lodge with W Bro David Walton being the second party to this idea.

There were originally 22 founders although there were possibly more than that who were involved in getting the lodge off the ground.

The Lodge was consecrated on 28th January 1983 at The Westgate Hall in Canterbury; it had originally been planned for a little later that year but the PGM was not free.

This lodge was nicknamed the “commuter or  corridor lodge” because some of the founding members invariably met on the corridors of the commuter trains going up to London on weekdays, this being one of the main reasons why we meet on a Saturday. Some of the founders already had retired and lived locally and found it difficult to travel up to London to continue their Masonic pursuits, so they  decided that meeting on a Saturday would fulfil the needs of all.

W.Bro Bill Cocks was approached at The Valley of Ealham lodge to become a founder and subsequently became the founding Director of Ceremonies and laid down the basis of  the ritual we practise today.

It is fitting that W.Bro Peter Dudley, the very first candidate initiated into Chestfield Lodge, was Worshipful Master in our Silver Anniversary year (2008).

Lodge History provided by W.Bro Ron Pinney

Founders of Chestfield Lodge