Provincial Team Visit to St Augustine Chapter in Bristol

16 members of the Provincial Team were invited to visit the St Augustine Chapter No 3108 at Freemasons’ Hall on Park Street in Bristol. This was a first for many of the Team to see an Exaltation done in the infamous Bristol Working. I kid you not this must be seen.

We all made the trip from various locations over the Province to meet in Park Street, also a first for many of the companions. We gathered in the bar and got to meet some of the Bristol companions, including MEGS of Bristol, E Comp Jonathan Davis, and others from the Provincial Team. In the bar there were other Masons, rather more formally dressed than we, in white tie, tails, etc, for one of their regular meetings.

Freemasons’ Hall is a magnificent building with fine architecture both in and outside. We got on our regalia and moved to the Chapter Room, one of two in the building, where there were a goodly number present, from Bristol: MEGS, 2^nd, 3^rd Principals and Deputy GS, our own DepGS in Charge, E Comp Clive Lambert, 2^nd Principal, E Comp Neil Hurcum and 3^rd Principal, Geoff Lester.

The opening of the Chapter was completely different from any that I have seen before. I was gobsmacked by how it was performed and everyone was word perfect, something that carried on that evening. We were called outside into the anteroom where the Ceremony of the Veils was carried out. Even the candidate was word perfect and had to learn much more than those in our ritual. The Veils working was different to that which we in Somerset are allowed to undertake once a year and I would recommend any companion to get yourself an invite to a Bristol Chapter to see this working. The ceremony continued inside the Chapter room where the quality of work undertaken continued and was outstanding.

I must mention the work undertaken by the members of St Augustine Chapter especially MEZ, E Comp Alan Lee, his two Principals, Val Cooke, a Somerset Mason, and Richard Blacker and the Principal Sojourner carried out a truly awesome ceremony as well as the candidate Bro Conor McBreen who was also unbelievable.

After the ceremony we adjourned to the bar, the Provincial Rulers to their own room where our Third Principal was heard to say “Please sir can I have some more…Tonic”! They do a mean G & T.

The Festive Board started with the slaying of the Haggis which became part of the starter: Haggis, Neeps and Tatties; followed by Roast Beef and seasonal veg and finishing with Crowdie, similar to Cranachan.

Once again an amazing, outstanding, brilliant, different, unbelievable and exquisite meeting.