Savage Club - The Savage Club Masonic Lodge

The Savage Club Masonic Lodge

In 1882, the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) became an honorary member of the Savage Club and, appreciating its informal atmosphere, took a great interest in the affairs of the club. The Prince suggested that a good addition to the facilities at the club would be a Masonic lodge. On 3 December 1886, Thomas Catling, the editor of Lloyd’s News, wrote to the Grand Secretary of United Grand Lodge as follows:

"A long cherished idea on the part of many members of the Savage Club has at length received an amount of support which justifies the accompanying application to the Most Worshipful Grand Master for a warrant for a new lodge. The Savage Club, which is “instituted for the association of gentlemen connected professionally with literature, art, the drama, or science”, now consists of 400 members, fully one-fourth of whom are masons, though many it is found are not at the present time subscribing members. From the interest evinced in the proposal there is a confident belief that if the new lodge is founded it will draw the majority of the masons in the club more closely together, and at the same time be the means of adding to the strength and prosperity of the craft by increasing its members. The petitioners are all “Savages”, but they do not bind themselves to admit none save their own members, though it will be their aim and endeavour to keep as close as possible to the principles which govern the elections to the Savage Club."

Enclosed with the letter was a formal petition to the Grand Master for the formation of the new lodge. The signatories were Sir Francis Wyatt Truscott, President of the Society of Artists, who was to be first Master of the new lodge, Sir John Somers Vine, the club’s secretary, who was to be the first Senior Warden, Lord Dunraven (Viscount Adair), then Provincial Grand Master of Oxfordshire, Catling, W. E. Chapman, Thomas Burnside and Archibald Neill, all described as journalists, another literary gentleman, John Paige, John Maclean, an actor, Raymond Tucker, an artist, and the actor Sir Henry Irving, who was not sufficiently experienced as a mason to take one of the more senior offices in the lodge, but agreed to act as Treasurer. Evidently Catling had been busy lobbying members of the Savage Club who were masons to assemble as imposing group of petitioners as possible. He had asked Lord Dunraven not only to support the petition but to agree if possible to take office in the new lodge. Dunraven had agreed to sign the petition, but could not take office.

The Savage Club Lodge was consecrated at Freemasons’ Hall on 18 January 1887, and Irving was invested as Treasurer of the new lodge. The lengthy report of the consecration in The Freemason refers to Irving’s presence but does not mention any speech by him. The Savage Club Lodge was enormously successful. In its first year, eleven meetings were held, and in the following year another ten. By the end of 1890, membership of the lodge had risen to 124. Many new masons had been initiated in the lodge and then passed through the various degrees in lengthy and elaborate rituals, and it was the working of these rituals which accounted for the large number of meetings. The club invited the Prince of Wales to become an honorary member, but although he declined this honour, he presented to the club for use in lodge meetings a gavel which had been used by the Queen when laying the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute at South Kensington.

Although there is no longer any formal connection between the club and the lodge, the lodge and its visitors still enjoy traditional Savage bonhomie at the club's premises in Whitehall following the quarterly lodge meetings in Covent Garden. Members of the lodge are also always invited to the frequent club events which are open to guests.