Brothers of Birchington Lodge No 5226 was consecrated by the Provincial Grand Master Colonel Fiennes Stanley Wykeham Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis on Friday 31st October 1930 at the Town Hall, Westgate–on–Sea.
The idea of a new lodge came from Brevet Lt. Col. George Ingleton Phillips, a barrister –at – law of the Inner Temple. W. Bro Phillips was a prominent local person and distinguished freemason. He was educated at Oxford, was a JP and during his military service was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was a Grand Lodge Officer and Past Master of 5 other lodges. The Ingoldsby Legends is a collection of myths, legends, ghost stories and poetry written supposedly by Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, actually a pen-name of an English clergyman named Richard Harris Barham. One of the legends is “The Brothers of Birchington” from which our name derives.
Another prominent founder was Bro Col Nawab Malik Sir Umar Hayat Khan, Knight Commander of the Indian Empire, CBE, Member of the Royal Victorian Order. Sir Umar was appointed ADC to the King and went on to become our second worshipful master. His image is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery.
W Bro Major George Potts who presented the lodge banner also presented the lodge with its volume of sacred law – a Geneva or sometimes known as a Breeches Bible – printed in 1608. That bible still takes pride of place at our meetings.
This lodge was somewhat instrumental in the building of St Thomas’ Church at Minnis Bay. It was a great event in the history of our lodge and partly due to the initiative of our first master W. Bro Phillips. Mrs Haidee Ida Kearns gave the land and a large sum of money in memory of her husband Col Thomas Kearns. The idea to found a church at Minnis Bay was that of Mrs Kearns but it was W. Bro Phillips’ idea to have a foundation stone laid with Masonic ceremony and, as far as possible, for the church to be connected to the Brothers of Birchington Lodge. Building started in 1932 and the church was dedicated to St Thomas after her late husband. The foundation stone laying took place on 29th October 1932 during the mastership of W. Bro Col. Nawab Malik Sir Umar Hayat Khan. The ceremony began with a colourful procession consisting of Provincial Grand Lodge officers of the year, officers of our lodge accompanying the Provincial Grand Master and his deputy. The foundation stone was laid by the Provincial Grand Master over the cavity into which various items had been placed. Accounts of this unique ceremony, with photographs, appeared in many local, national and overseas newspapers. Pathe’s Gazette made a short film of the event which was shown in many cinemas.
A preview of this film can be seen here.
The side chapel in St Thomas’s was oak panelled, decorated and furnished by members of our lodge as a memorial to our past masters who are summoned to the Grand Lodge above. Their names are recorded in that chapel. Our installation meeting takes place, by dispensation, at Birchington every five years after which a service is held at St Thomas’.
The lodge held its meetings in Thanet until 1951 when it moved to Wierton Place, Boughton Monchelsea and then onto the Ancient College Gateway in Maidstone. Since 1993 we meet at West Malling Masonic Centre.