Lodge of Science Open Their Doors to the Public

On the 19th March the Lodge of Science joined in with the Wincanton History Societies 2nd
Annual History Day. There were many locations within the town explaining various historical facts
regarding the town, with many inhabitants dressed in period costume to add to the day.
The Lodge opened its doors to the public at 10.00 am, when a continuous stream of visitors
commenced and did not relent until the doors were closed at 3.30 pm.
Visitors were treated to a display dedicated to the close association with Wincanton since 1793
when the first Lodge; The Lodge of Unity 584 was opened through the period of Wincanton being a
Parole town for prisoners of war. This included a Lodge being formed by the French Prisoners of
War called la Paix Desiree in 1804. The Lodge of Science was formed in 1836. There were storyboards, photographs and memorabilia on display causing much discussion of older well remembered Wincantonians.
There were conducted tours of the Temple and questions answered where appropriate! Of course
we hope that perhaps we may get a new member or two from the event but this was not the main
reason for us taking part. However we are a forward looking Lodge and we signed up our first
junior member, please see attached photo of young Albert.
Our pop up cafe was very popular and visitors enjoyed a selection of delicious cakes, tea and
coffee free of charge.
Many compliments were made by the visitors regarding the display and the premises from, ‘It’s
like a Tardis in here’ to ‘I never knew that this existed and I have lived here all my life’ From the
Lodges point of view. Further bridges with the community were built and we look forward to
continuing that process in the future.
By Rod Allen