Consecrated 8th October 1889
Meeting at: Klerksdorp - Masonic Hall, Connie Avenue, Adamayview
Meeting Dates: 2nd Thursday (ex Jul) (1st Sat Apr) Inst Apr
Contact 084 415 1451
Lodge History
One of the twelve lodges constituting the District in 1895.
Royal Albert Lodge - named after the Grand Master - was in fact the second 'English' lodge to be consecrated in the Transvaal, notwithstanding the earlier numbering of two others. For many years the lodge shared its meeting place in Siddle Street, Klerksdorp with a Scottish Lodge, Thomas Gardner No 762, and the lodges together with another Scottish lodge, Fontein No 1538, became the joint owners of the new masonic hall in Adamayview, Klerksdorp, which was built in 1963. Klerksdorp, the oldest town in the Transvaal, saw something of a gold rush in the 1880s, followed by some fighting during the South African war. Since then it has become a leading grain producing area, and the major extension westwards of gold mining led to further development of the town.
The fortunes of Royal Albert Lodge have to some extent followed those of Klerksdorp itself, with the lodge being in semi recess during the South African war, recovering and making steady progress until shortly before the Second World war. But it then fell onto bad times, with three to six members attending meetings until, in 1939, and immediately following a well attended Golden Jubilee meeting, the lodge ceased to meet at all until 1946. By then only two members lived in Klerksdorp but a number of joining members were introduced, the lodge was successfully resuscitated and has since maintained fairly good progress. It celebrated its Centenary on 4 March 1989 although, owing to the gap in meetings from 1939, it will have to wait until 2046 for its Centenary Jewel!
Reference: 'A Century of Brotherhood' by A A Cooper & D E G Vieler