Regular Communications of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are held on the first Thursday in February, the second Thursday in June and the third Thursday in October. The Annual Installation normally takes place on the Thursday immediately preceeding Saint Andrew's Day, 30th November, and is followed by the Festival of Saint Andrew. When Saint Andrew's Day is a Thursday the Installation and Festival take place on that day.

Occasions such as these mean that the building is closed to the public as is the case with some other Masonic meetings and Public Holidays. So far as is possible these dates are provided in the table below.

Tours of the building are normally provided at 10.00 AM and 2.00 PM each weeks day (except January when the Museum is closed for cleaning). Where the building is in use for only part of a day (for example on the afternoon of Thursday, 25th April. There will be a tour of the building in the morning (at 10.00 AM) but no tour in the afternoon of that day. There is no public access to the building on any day when the building status is 'closed'.

Please also note that from approximately mid-July to early September Freemasons' Hall is used as a Festival Fringe Theatre. This means that access to most of the building is restricted whilst the building is converted into several theatres, during the Festival Fringe itself and then during the period when the theatres are dismantled. Although no tours of the building are possible during this period Freemasons, and members of the public, are welcome to visit the Museum (on the second floor - please note there is no disabled access).

 2016

Scottish Freemasonry is organised in a fairly straightforward way and has three tiers:

“Head Office” which is The Grand Lodge of Scotland a central administration unit and responsible for Lodges working under the Scottish Constitution throughout the world and working with other Grand Lodges.
“Regional Offices” which represent Grand Lodge of Scotland locally and will have responsibility for a defined number of Lodges within a geographically area:

• Within Scotland there are 32 “Provincial Grand Lodges”.
• Beyond the boundary of Scotland we have 26 “District Grand Lodges”.
• Where Grand Lodge have a small number of Lodges within a region and outwith Scotland, they will be represented by one of our 2 “Grand Superintendents”.
• There are 15 lodges that do not easily fit the regional structure being located individually throughout the globe, and so are administered directly by Grand Lodge.

"Lodges" are the Foundation Stone of Freemasonry and every Scottish Freemason must be a member of at least one lodge. There are around 640 lodges in Scotland and 350 Lodges located in over forty countries overseas.

Details of most Lodges will be found under the Provincial or District Grand Lodge, For example. Lodge Scotia, No.1003 (Penang, Malayasia) is listed under the District Grand Lodge of the Middle East. Below is a list of Lodges which do not come under the jurisdiction of a Provincial or District Grand Lodge.

Quite a number of Scottish Lodges have their own web sites some of which are unknown to Grand Lodge and so no link exists on this site. In those circumstances checking for details through a search engin such as Google might be of assistance.

Read more: Lodges

Provincial Grand Master:Brother Henry Petrie

Provincial Grand Secretary:Brother Alistair McIntosh 

Amendments
The above information was derived from the Year Book and therefore the details ought to be correct. However, typing mistakes can occur and Lodge details change. Should any amendments and/or corrections require to be made to the above details or if a Lodge wishes to have its' web page linked to from here please e-mail the webmaster. Do not write or telephone Freemasons' Hall for this purpose.

Provincial Grand Lodges

Aberdeen Grand Lodge 

Grand Office-bearers 2015 - 2016

Grand Master Mason

Charles I. R. Wolrige Gordon of Esslemont

Past Grand Master

Sir Archibald D. Orr Ewing, Bart, M.A.

Depute Grand Master

Ramsay McGhee, M.C.M.I.

Substitute Grand Master

George R. Kelly, Minst., LM., DMS.

List of Living Past Grand Office-bearers

Committees - the decision making processes of the Grand Lodge of Scotland are very democratic. Every Daughter Lodge has the right to send three representatives to meetings of Grand Lodge (known as Communications) which take place in February, June and October. In the interim, day to day administration is in the care of Grand Secretary (Brother David M. Begg, C.A.) with the assistance of a number of Committees - see below.

The deliberations of these Committees are debated by Grand Committee (a body comprised of elected members from which members of other Committees are drawn - see above) and are then referred to a Communication of Grand Lodge for approval. A 'Communication' is a meeting of Grand Lodge where all who are entitled to do so may vote on any matter laid before it in accordance with the Constitution and Laws. This is 'Grand Lodge assembled' and is the ultimate authority on all matters pertaining to the Scottish Craft.

Below are further details of each of the Committees and their members

Disciplinary

David Wishart, Chairman;  Hugh Clelland; Thomas Davidson;  Ronald W. A. Forbes; Robert Little; John Muirhead; Alexander B. M. McLachlan; George M. Preston and James C. Peddie.

Administration

James Bell, Grand Treasurer, ex officio, Chairman: Thomas C. Smith, Douglas W. Duncan; Alexander Galbraith; William H. Gauld; Kenneth D. Kennedy; Michael Kinnaird; Ewan Rutherford and Robert R. Law.

Disciplinary Review

John F. Herrick, Chairman; T. Wilson Aitken; John S. Brockie; John Dadds; William G. Grant; Kenneth R. Johnson; Andrew A. McKinnon; W. Scott Sneddon and Maurice E. Wilson.

Benevolence and Care

J. M Marcus Humphrey of Dinnet, Chairman; Dr. Douglas R. H. Nicol; George M. Preston, Rev. Iain R. Ramsden; David A. Reid; Rev. Robert Craig, Alistair Henderson; Grand Secretary; Grand Almoner; Chairman of the Administration Committee; ex officio.

Information and Communications

Thomas F. Jessop, Chairman; David C. Bloomfield; Alistair McIntosh; John S. Miller; Andrew Mushet; Samuel Peden; Robert W. Scott; Walter Sneddon and James P. Livingstone.

Overseas, External Affairs and Special Purposes

W. Ramsay McGhee, Chairman; Charles I. R. Wolrige Gordon of Esslemont; Sir Archibald D. Orr Ewing; The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine; James L. Jack; Rev. John H. Jenkinson; Hugh Bryson; Alistair Marshall; John McCormack and Grand Secretary, ex officio.