George and Peter are unassuming chaps, “there’s no need to mention our names
you know, the driving force behind the new Uxbridge Masonic Centre was
Brian Dean, he’s the chap responsible for getting the new centre up and running”.

I wasn’t going to argue I was outranked and outnumbered. What’s more, I was
surrounded by some pretty hefty builders who were busy with the major
refurbishment programme, which will help Uxbridge to achieve its goal
and become the most up-to-date centre in the Province.

So, who was Brian Dean? Well, we have to go back to the days when a number of
Lodges that used to meet at the old Gayton Rooms got together and established
the first Uxbridge Masonic Hall, in an old Methodist Chapel in New
Windsor Street, right in the centre of Uxbridge itself.

The original Uxbridge Masonic Hall was consecrated half a century ago and
the sponsoring lodge was Royal Union. Alas, the fabric of the old chapel was
showing its age and after careful consideration, it was deemed uneconomical
to refurbish and Brian Dean, who was the Chairman at the time, played a
major role in establishing the new centre at Western House.

Massive fundraising programme.

What Brian Dean started was to snowball under the Chairmanship of Len
Worsdell and Company Secretary Ken Hodgson, as Chris Nixon spearheaded
a massive fundraising programme. £350,000 and an enormous amount of work
later, they established the new Uxbridge Masonic Centre at Hercies Road.

So, how many Masonic Centres do you know of that started life as a distribution
warehouse? Because, before the war that’s exactly what Western House started
out as, in fact, the ex Provincial Organist and Uxbridge stalwart Harry Simmonds
actually worked there when it was used by the Ministry of Defence, but true to
our Masonic obligations, we can’t tell you what it was used for!

Although Western House already had two floors, the rest of the building was
re-jigged entirely. The roller shutters were bricked up to match the rest of the
building and ultimately the new reception area at the
front of the building was added.

On the ground floor, past the ladies and gentlemen’s lavatories, including disabled
facilities and wheel chair access is a large robing room and Grand Officer’s room,
which leads into the entrance vestibule leading to the two very tastefully appointed
Lodge and Chapter rooms. These rooms are designated the Gordon Bourne,
who dedicated the building in 1995 and the Royal Union, after the
sponsoring lodge of the original Uxbridge Masonic Hall.

Upstairs there is a sizeable and well-equipped lounge bar and two dining rooms,
which can be opened up using the sliding doors to accommodate 140 diners. There is
also a well fitted kitchen, which the Chairman claims helps the centre maintain
its reputation for the best catering and service in the Province.

The Uxbridge Centre was officially opened by the Provincial Grand Master,
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent. Today, in addition to the 40 Craft
Lodges that meet at the Uxbridge Masonic Centre, there are 20 additional units
from a wide range of other Masonic degrees that meet at Western House.
There are also 6 Lodge of Instruction rooms, which can be used
on every night of the season.

The Centre is also used to accommodate the Western House Masonic Club and a
wide range of other activities including the Barclays Bank Retirement Club. It also
hosts Province Seminars and ladies nights, plus regular weddings and other social
functions, for which the Centre has earned an excellent reputation over the years.
The Centre even has its own skittle alley!

But these Uxbridge Masons don’t give up, at the time of our visit, Western House
was undergoing a major re-fit which includes new double glazing throughout, for
the benefit of both the Centre and the neighbours. There are new suspended ceilings,
lighting and air conditioning, plus an extension to the kitchen, new lights over the
bar and re-surfacing of the car park...in the words of George and Peter “all
donations will be gratefully received and faithfully applied!”

With that in mind, the Uxbridge team was keen to point out that they all owe a
sincere debt of gratitude to members of every lodge who gave well and worthily.
That extraordinary generosity, so prevalent among Masons was not only financial,
but materialised in the form of equipment and fittings appearing almost overnight,
brethren coming on evenings and weekends, rolling up their sleeves
and doing the work themselves.

One particular case involved the purchase and installation of a lift for the benefit of
those brethren and guests who may be rather less mobile than they used to be.
Now if that’s not fraternal relief, given from the heart,
we don’t know what is!