HistoryChapter 4                           579St Bryde 

To build a Masonic Temple in what was then the small village of Uddingston in times when the country was in deep recession, was indeed a remarkable achievement.

If there is symbolism to be found in the Temple, then we must look to the building as being symbolical of the men who built it. Those pillars of Lodge St. Bryde whose strong will overcame the trials of previous difficulties, their delicate touches for detail and the regularity of their actions, impressed everyone concerned with the project and everyone ever since.

To try to put the scale of the project into perspective and to realise some of the problems, difficulties and disappointments which faced the Brethren of those days, we have to go back to the time when the idea of a Temple in Uddingston was first conceived.

The consecration and erection of the Lodge was held in Latta`s Hall on 9th. March 1876 by acting Provincial Grand Master Bro. J.C. Forrest. The Lodge rented this small hall in Magdala Place from the Latta family until 22nd. November 1877, although small, it was popular with visiting Brethren from Glasgow who came to Uddingston by train.

The Lodge appears to have gone through hard times in the eleven years that it met here and when the chance arose to rent more spacious rooms, in the prestigious Royal Buildings at Uddingston Cross, the Brethren took the opportunity to move and took with them nothing more than a large box containing "Lodge paraphernalia".

The new rooms on the top flat of the Royal Buildings were consecrated by the now P.G.M. Bro. Col. J.C. Forrest on 24th. Nov. 1887. The Lodge worked here until alterations to the property in 1901 forced them to move from the top flat to a new hall, which they rented in the same building.

This new hall was previously used as a Billiard Room and measured 21ft. 6ins.x 19ft. Bro. P. Dawson, who owned the building, expressed a great desire to keep the Lodge in his property. After meeting the Lodge Committee, who were concerned that the entrance to the hall would be through the public bar, Bro. Dawson agreed to meet most of the expense of converting the hall. The entrance door off the licensed premises was closed up and a new entrance built; part of the hall was partitioned off and made into a new room which was used as the adjacent. Bro. Dawson generously intimated that the rent on the new hall would be £10 annually. The first meeting in the new hall was the Installation of Bro. G. Stronach on 13th. Nov. 1901. It is also interesting to note that the halls were not consecrated until 4th. March 1902 by the P.G.M. Bro. Robert King Stewart.

The first references in the Lodge Minute Books of the trying to obtain a plot of land appear to be in 1903 when they approached the North British Railway Company concerning a plot between Croftbank and the Station. Towards the end of 1903, plans were produced at a general meeting of the Lodge but the Brethren did not feel justified in binding themselves to such a financial commitment at this time. However the Brethren decided at this meeting to form a permanent building committee with the aim of "Raising a fund of Two Thousand Pounds" .

The Lodge met for the last time in the Royal Buildings on 12th. April 1916. A short time later the Secretary arranged a three year lease of the Lesser Public Hall at the rate of £10 for each period of eighteen meetings. The new meeting place was consecrated on 11th. October 1916 by the P.G.M. Bro. Robert King Stewart.

In 1917 the Lodge agreed to purchase a plot of land between Main Street and Old Mill Road, including Croftview and Ivy Cottages, for a total price of £550. This appears to have stretched the Lodge resources somewhat to the limit, as they did not start making plans for a Temple on the Old Mill Road site for another three years, when a Mr. William Baird, Architect and Surveyor submitted to the Lodge two proposed plans for a Temple. The Architect tended to favour the second plan which used the frontage of the cottage as an entrance hall but retained three apartments, scullery and W.C. and called for the demolition of the other house. The cost of the schemes were £3,500 and £3,450 respectively.

Amendments to the plans were made to include five fireplaces in the main hall and the platform was to be recessed to give more floor space. The Lodge stated that the platform had to be in the East of the Temple and the whole plan was drawn around this condition.

A contract was formally given to Wm. Baird, Architect, Bellshill, in connection with building the Masonic Temple, his duties included 1/8" scale plans , details and supervision at a fee of 5% of the completed cost and if his services as measurer were required a further fee of 11/2 % would be required.
Everything seemed to be going well at this stage of the Old Mill Road Plan and the completed plans were submitted to the Housing Department of the Council for approval.

The report which came back from the Housing Dept. on 4th. April 1921 was indeed a shock for the Brethren, since it rejected the Lodge plans for the proposed Temple. The reason given by the Department was that owing to the lack of housing accommodation at that time, they could not consent to the demolition of the dwelling house to make way for a hall, in fact the Housing Committee pointed out to the Lodge "The undesirability of their allowing the cottage to remain unoccupied and that they (the Lodge) should take immediate steps to have the house put in a habitable condition and be made available for occupancy". This letter undoubtedly had a shattering effect on the Brethren of the Lodge, all their dreams of a Temple seemed to be crumbling. After so much work in obtaining a plot of land to have their final plans rejected was a cruel blow.

In fact after consultation with the Architect as to whether they were compelled to carry out the work on the cottage an estimate of £145 was obtained to make the cottage habitable.

It is in these trying times that the spirit of the Brethren of the Lodge comes to the fore, for some five months after having their plans rejected by the Housing Committee they bid £300 for a plot of land on the North side of Bellshill Road.
The offer was made and the following terms agreed; A) That the transaction would be ratified by the Lodge within three months. B) In the event of the area being found to exceed 725yds. the Lodge would pay 7/6d for every extra square yard. C) That the purchasers would erect a boundary wall within one year of entry.

The Lodge then instructed their Solicitors to advise for sale Croftview Cottage, Ivy Cottage, two stables, coach house and hay loft, all presently unlet. A number of replies were made to the advertisement and finally the property was sold for £650, an increase in value of £100 in the five years the Lodge owned it. Incidentally the Solicitors fee for the sale was £4 18/-.
Everything now seemed in order for the final purchase of the Bellshill Road site but, alas, it was not to be. The Lodge Secretary Bro. H. Porter P.M. informed the owners on 18th. February 1922 that the Brethren were "unable to purchase the site".

The reason why the Bellshill Road site was dropped becomes clear in the Minutes of the Building Committee less than a month after the cancelled plan.
A brother of the Lodge, Thomas Latta, owned a site of approximately 1,000 square yards behind his property in Magdala Place and indicated to the Lodge that he would sell the ground to them for around £300. Letters were then exchanged between the Secretary and Bro. Latta`s lawyer.
Bro. Latta`s lawyer advised that;

A) An area of ground with a frontage of 150ft. on Greenrig Road and about 60ft. to the road leading to the Public Hall, or such other measurement as would produce an area of 1,000 sq. yards.
B) An annual payment of feuduty at the rate of £40 per acre.
C) That would be on Whitsunday 1922 .

This was just the site the Lodge had been looking for; well positioned in the village, near the Main Street and the Railway Station and almost 25% larger in area than the Bellshill Road site.
Now, after the trials of the last five years the reader would think that the Lodge would move swiftly to secure the property (especially as Bro. Latta was very generous with the boundary lines, which were more or less decided by the Lodge ) . This was not so. After a meeting of the Lodge it was agreed to purchase the site upon the following terms.
A) The purchase price to be £285, payable on 11th. November 1922.
B) Purchasers exempt from feuduty for a period of six years.
C) Purchasers thereafter to pay an annual feuduty of £6 per annum.
Bro. Latta agreed to the terms and the purchase was completed on 7th. July 1922.

Plans for the new Temple were sent to the Building Inspector for approval, by Wm. Baird, Architect. The reply stated that the plans did not conform to Bye Laws 12 and 13, in that the front of the building was only 20ft. from the centre of the road and that the clear space at the rear was not equal to two thirds the height of the building. Further discussions were held with Bro. Latta and he agreed that a further strip of land be released to the Lodge at no extra cost. After these adjustments, the plans were finally approved by the Building Committee.

Nothing now remained, but the plans be passed by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Lanarkshire. The reply received from the P.G.L. Secretary Bro. John Black on 6th. February 1923 stated that if the lesser hall was to be used as a Lodge Room it should have no more than two doors, the ante room should be larger and the Temple itself should be one story up. (the fact that new Temples had to have their Lodge Room one story up seems to have been standard practice, Masonic Halls at Bellshill, New Stevenson, Motherwell, Blantyre and Hamilton all have the Lodge Room one up and were all built around the turn of the century). The Uddingston Temple appears to have been designed to the contrary, two days later another letter from P.G.L. reads "So far as the Lodge Room is concerned, I am afraid the same will not be passed or consecrated by P.G.L. , there are too many doors to the same from different parts of the hall".
Immediate discussions took place between the Lodge and the Architect and an amended plan was sent to P.G.L. who replied, "The P.G.L. Secretary will be pleased to report to P.G.L. Committee that its suggestions are being carried out".

The Lodge Brethren must have been extremely skilful in the art of discussion, P.G.L. were satisfied that their recommendations were being carried out yet today there are seven doors in the main halls and we do not have a two storey building.

As the work progressed the Lodge appointed a Master of Works to co-ordinate the scheme and it will be of no surprise to any of the Brethren who have read any of the old minute Books that Bro. James Patrick P.M. was appointed. One of his first duties as Master of Works was to convene a meeting between the Architect, Wm. Baird and Munro & Junor, the builders (who were both members of the Lodge) regarding children playing on the site after hours. Munro & Junor were instructed to build a fence round the site and a watchman was appointed at 20/- per week, the provision of which relieved the Lodge of liability for damage.

The building work was well advanced when the Lodge decided on a major alteration. The main hall was originally divided into two, with a large committee room situated in the west. The Lodge decided to delete the large committee room in the west and carry the main ceiling through at the same level as the hall, a decision which would increase the main hall size by about 20%. As the work had to be done at no extra cost, alterations had to be made in the decoration scheme. If the reader looks at the main hall ceiling, he will see that in the west there are no windows in the ceiling, this being originally in the large committee room. The hall was heated by a boiler and radiator system, installed by the local plumbers, Shaw & Gibson and the contract for the painting work was also given to the local firm of John Williamson.

As the building neared completion relations between the Lodge and the Architect became somewhat strained, especially as the building had been wired in non-association cable instead of association as specified. The mistake was made by the foreman and a rebate of £2 17/- was offered or the job rewired as specified to comply with the main cable run by the Clyde Valley Power Company. Strongly worded letters exchanged between the Lodge Secretary, Hugh Porter P.M. and the Architect, the Lodge threatening breach of contract if the halls were not rewired. Remarkable, even more so, when you consider that this took place two weeks before the consecration ceremony on 9th. September 1924.