Tetragon Lodge was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War in (the July of) 1946. From its very early years the lodge had a close association with Terpsichore Lodge N.7454, which was a Lodge for ballroom dancers.
In the 1950s the waiting list for initiation into Terpsichore Lodge was long and several potential initiates chose to be initiated in Tetragon Lodge and then become joining members of Terpsichore Lodge, that being a quicker route into Terpsichore Lodge than waiting for initiation there.
In the late 2000s, however, Tetragon Lodge was finding it hard to attract candidates and membership numbers fell. As a result, serious consideration was given to returning its Warrant.
By a happy coincidence some members of the Facebook group "Young Freemasons of England" had been discussing the prospect of being members of a Lodge together. They were looking for a Lodge that they might all join.
They became aware of the predicament Tetragon was in and in November 2008 decided to join the Lodge with a view to rescuing it. It was also at that point that the Lodge joined the University Lodge Scheme. Since those days the membership of the lodge has grown from as little as ten to upwards of thirty-four masons, with more joining us at each meeting.
The Lodge Today
Many current members joined the lodge while studying or soon after graduating. Tetragon is now mostly composed of young professionals working in various industries (with the IT sector being particularly well represented). Alongside them are a number of Brethren of many years standing in Freemasonry who bring with them an experience and wisdom that gives the Lodge such a great balanced and friendly atmosphere.
Although Tetragon is not attached to any university many of the current members are alumni of the London School of Economics, along with alumni of the Universities of Oxford, Nottingham, East Anglia, and Huddersfield who have come to London to live and work.
The lodge reflects the diversity of the city in which it is based and count and is made up of men from a range of differing religious, cultural and political backgrounds. Members come from different countries including Greece, Pakistan, Canada, Turkey, Brazil and France; profess faiths including Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism; and inhabit a wide swathe of the political spectrum. The average age is about 33 years old, though members ages range from eighteen to men in their sixties.
Such diversity is celebrated as something rarely found outside Freemasonry and is part of what makes Tetragon such a vibrant Lodge. Freemasonry in general, and Tetragon in particular, allows men of good character to meet as equals, regardless of what society could regard as divisive.