Way back in the last millennium, well March 1999 to be precise, the building known today as Sociedad Compás Masonic Centre was purchased for renovation by a group of very forward thinking and brave Freemasons. When the idea was first mooted many Brethren promised donations to the deposit fund. Unfortunately, when the time came for that promised money to actually be donated, not a lot was forthcoming. However, Mike Savory located a substantial building available for sale, owned by the CAAM bank and realising its potential he paid the deposit in full, thus securing the building for purchase. It was to be many years before Mike saw his money returned.
The individuals first involved in the enterprise deserve to be known by name for posterity but 20 years down the road there are few of those brave Brethren here to remember exactly who was involved, which is very sad. However, listed are those that we do know about and our sincere apologies to anyone we have missed;
Mike Savory, Stan Pearce, Bill Eastbrook, Russell Frost, Alistair McLellan, Roger Heap, Eddie Davis, Lon Whitehead, Clive Keylock and Basil Trott.
On the 14th of September 1999, Mike Savory, Roger Heap, Basil Trott and Eddie Davis spent a stressful day in Alicante with lawyers, the end result being that the building was formally recognised as an association, to be known as Sociedad Compás.
The first President was William Eastbrook, the first Secretary was Edward Davis and the first Treasurer was Russell Frost and they all held those posts continuously until 2004.
The building had led a chequered life and prior to its purchase it had been a brothel, complete with “cubicles” in the under build! Business could not have been good as the building was mysteriously set alight and subsequently reclaimed by the Bank from whom our intrepid Brethren purchased it.
Many Brethren worked tirelessly over many years to make the building into what it is today and amongst the major players in that first year were Stan Pearce who led the building team having been a restorer of listed buildings in his working life ably assisted by Mike Savory, Mike Puckett, John Carter, Bill Eastbrook, Ron Knight, Roger Heap, Les Jones and possibly many others.
By the following year, new Brethren had joined Spanish masonry and the initial team were enhanced in 2000 with Barrie Mansell, and Brian Walker and later with Harry Palmer, Dave Hobden, Neil Keegan, Joe Monks. Tea makers and supporters bearing sustenance were always most welcome and among the regulars for those duties were Les Nobes and John Horobin. Take a moment to reflect on the following photographs taken when the building was purchased before continuing the story.....
The individuals first involved in the enterprise deserve to be known by name for posterity but 20 years down the road there are few of those brave Brethren here to remember exactly who was involved, which is very sad. However, listed are those that we do know about and our sincere apologies to anyone we have missed;
Mike Savory, Stan Pearce, Bill Eastbrook, Russell Frost, Alistair McLellan, Roger Heap, Eddie Davis, Lon Whitehead, Clive Keylock and Basil Trott.
On the 14th of September 1999, Mike Savory, Roger Heap, Basil Trott and Eddie Davis spent a stressful day in Alicante with lawyers, the end result being that the building was formally recognised as an association, to be known as Sociedad Compás.
The first President was William Eastbrook, the first Secretary was Edward Davis and the first Treasurer was Russell Frost and they all held those posts continuously until 2004.
The building had led a chequered life and prior to its purchase it had been a brothel, complete with “cubicles” in the under build! Business could not have been good as the building was mysteriously set alight and subsequently reclaimed by the Bank from whom our intrepid Brethren purchased it.
Many Brethren worked tirelessly over many years to make the building into what it is today and amongst the major players in that first year were Stan Pearce who led the building team having been a restorer of listed buildings in his working life ably assisted by Mike Savory, Mike Puckett, John Carter, Bill Eastbrook, Ron Knight, Roger Heap, Les Jones and possibly many others.
By the following year, new Brethren had joined Spanish masonry and the initial team were enhanced in 2000 with Barrie Mansell, and Brian Walker and later with Harry Palmer, Dave Hobden, Neil Keegan, Joe Monks. Tea makers and supporters bearing sustenance were always most welcome and among the regulars for those duties were Les Nobes and John Horobin. Take a moment to reflect on the following photographs taken when the building was purchased before continuing the story.....
As can been seen the building had little to offer other than its four outside walls. To make it usable as a Lodge as quickly as possible, work was concentrated on the top floor. The building needed to be completely rewired and the water supply secured bearing in mind the fire, the ceiling also had to be replaced. On the cosmetic front, the bar that had run the length of the room was removed and the bar that exists today was created at the rear of the room along with the toilets; old windows were replaced and new ones created, as was a fire door. Phew! This all sounds easy but it was many many months of hard work by a relatively few volunteers.
The pressure to make the top floor usable was immense as money was in short supply and a mortgage had to be repaid. One way of raising funds in the early days was by the purchase of shares by individuals, Dining Clubs and Lodges. The sooner that local lodges were able to utilise the building for their meeting meant that rent could be collected to help pay the mortgage. With a lot of hard work and at great personal expense to those initial Brethren the top floor was ready for use and the building was consecrated by the Provincial Grand Master R.W. Bro. Ian Leslie Hutchinson. A great and memorable day for all concerned.
With the building in use and money finally coming in, a start was made on creating an internal access to the under build initially via a precarious spiral staircase. Once it was clear what could be done, Stan Pearce and his band of trusted helpers, several of whom were builders themselves, created the staircase that is still in use today.
The Master's and two Warden's chairs commissioned and paid for by John Relf
This new staircase created the new dilemma as to what use was to be made of the under build. Many lengthy and often heated discussions ensued, the question being should the lodge room stay upstairs or should it move downstairs thereby allowing for a function room upstairs? Vote after vote was held but as we now know, the lodge eventually moved downstairs. Having made that decision a huge amount of work was required with the ceiling downstairs needing to be strengthened so that it would be weight bearing. This entailed removing five massive concrete steel pillars and a large steel girder to replace them. It was then realised that the Lodge room would still not be big enough, so it was then decided that two further pillars and another girder were required. The extra cost for those two pillars was met by Barrie Mansell and Brian Walker. One hot summers day found, Mike Savory, Barrie Mansell and Brian Walker each in charge of a wheelbarrow collecting concrete from a lorry and rushing it downstairs to Stan Pearce who was laying the new floor. It took them all quite a while to get over that exhausting day but with the floor and ceiling completed internal walls could be erected.
It became the practice for a few years for new Worshipful Masters to donate the money raised during their year in office to the building fund and this way the upper and lower floors were laid and the lift installed. Even so a second mortgage was required in order that everything could be completed. This mortgage was secured against the personal property of a few individuals.
The big day came when downstairs was finally ready to hold Lodge meetings and everyone involved was so proud. Let’s be honest though, there was still a tremendous amount that needed to be done. The furniture used by everyone was basic, plastic chairs that had a tendency to “give way” causing unsuspecting Brethren to find themselves suddenly on the floor, pedestals that had seen better days and generally a mish-mash of things that had been scrounged up as and when. Fundraising efforts increased especially as there was now a room upstairs where functions could be held with minimum outlay and maximum profit. New chairs were quickly purchased which meant they could be sat upon without fear of a loss of dignity! One of the best donations the building received was from John Relf who commissioned and paid for the Masters and two Wardens chairs; they are still in use today.
It became the practice for a few years for new Worshipful Masters to donate the money raised during their year in office to the building fund and this way the upper and lower floors were laid and the lift installed. Even so a second mortgage was required in order that everything could be completed. This mortgage was secured against the personal property of a few individuals.
The big day came when downstairs was finally ready to hold Lodge meetings and everyone involved was so proud. Let’s be honest though, there was still a tremendous amount that needed to be done. The furniture used by everyone was basic, plastic chairs that had a tendency to “give way” causing unsuspecting Brethren to find themselves suddenly on the floor, pedestals that had seen better days and generally a mish-mash of things that had been scrounged up as and when. Fundraising efforts increased especially as there was now a room upstairs where functions could be held with minimum outlay and maximum profit. New chairs were quickly purchased which meant they could be sat upon without fear of a loss of dignity! One of the best donations the building received was from John Relf who commissioned and paid for the Masters and two Wardens chairs; they are still in use today.
Whilst the inside was being renovated work was also taking place outside to remove the portico and outside bar and to make the property secure. The entrance gates were donated by Mike Hammett and proudly announced to the world that the building was being used for masonic purposes. Later on, the addition of the pillars topped with the celestial and terrestrial globes added to the visual masonic signs.
Wall boards recording the names of the Masters of each lodge were made and hung up along with boards for every Order that met and continue to meet in the building. The Banners for every Lodge that owns one are also hung in the Lodge and Banners of other Orders can be found in the stairwell along with Knights Templar swords.
Wall boards recording the names of the Masters of each lodge were made and hung up along with boards for every Order that met and continue to meet in the building. The Banners for every Lodge that owns one are also hung in the Lodge and Banners of other Orders can be found in the stairwell along with Knights Templar swords.
As with any building, maintenance is an ongoing thing that constantly requires money. Lodges of all Orders and the Dining Clubs have all been generous in their support of Sociedad Compás and it is thanks to them that the building was kept in good repair. Obviously unexpected big issues have come along over the years. One of those was the need to replace the leaking roof and a year long project to raise sufficient funds named “Raise the Roof” was held. Ron Knight undertook the work to replace the roof and thank goodness it is still in good repair.
With major works completed attention was turned to a somewhat sombre matter. As one of the two certainties in life is death it was felt that a Book of Remembrance should be established and a Garden of Remembrance created in the grounds. The Provincial Grand Master of the time, R.W.Bro. Barrie Roy Mansell personally donated the Book and today it is housed in a special cabinet before you enter the Lodge. All the names of people, masonic or otherwise and who’s ashes are in the Garden are recorded in the book. The Garden of Remembrance is in the grounds at the back of the building and there are memorial plaques on the wall for each Brother resting therein. In death we are all equal so only names and not ranks are recorded in the book and on the plaques. You can learn more in the Remembrance section of this website
With major works completed attention was turned to a somewhat sombre matter. As one of the two certainties in life is death it was felt that a Book of Remembrance should be established and a Garden of Remembrance created in the grounds. The Provincial Grand Master of the time, R.W.Bro. Barrie Roy Mansell personally donated the Book and today it is housed in a special cabinet before you enter the Lodge. All the names of people, masonic or otherwise and who’s ashes are in the Garden are recorded in the book. The Garden of Remembrance is in the grounds at the back of the building and there are memorial plaques on the wall for each Brother resting therein. In death we are all equal so only names and not ranks are recorded in the book and on the plaques. You can learn more in the Remembrance section of this website
DISASTER STRIKES – DECEMBER 2018
Our biggest disaster – and hopefully our last of such magnitude! – was in December 2018 when the outside patio collapsed. A Christmas Carol evening had been held on the 15 December and all was well. The next thing was a panic call on the 17th to say a big sink hole had appeared in the patio outside taking with it the emergency exit stairs and making access to the Garden of Remembrance impossible. The insurance company declined to pay out and that remains an ongoing issue in the hands of the court. However, builders had to be called in regardless as there were safety issues. The news became worse and it transpired that the whole of the side patio was in danger of imminent collapse.
Once the extent of the damage had been assessed and the size of the hole was visible, a decision needed to be made on how to progress. Whilst it was a disastrous situation it did provide a previously un-thought-of opportunity; building another lodge room next to the existing one. A fellow Brother, Dimitry Nazarov, who has a building company, provided an exceptional quote to repair the damage. A debt of gratitude is owed to Dimitry who dealt with all the architects and Town Hall as well as overseeing the actual building work. Without his help and assistance, the project would never have been completed so swiftly or to such a standard.
Taking the financial estimates into account and the difference between the cost of filling the enormous hole versus that of creating a new room being marginal, together with the view that we would never have another chance to improve on the original building, a new lodge room was decided upon. So, for a second time in its life Sociedad Compás saw another group of forward-thinking Masons work to enhance it.
Our biggest disaster – and hopefully our last of such magnitude! – was in December 2018 when the outside patio collapsed. A Christmas Carol evening had been held on the 15 December and all was well. The next thing was a panic call on the 17th to say a big sink hole had appeared in the patio outside taking with it the emergency exit stairs and making access to the Garden of Remembrance impossible. The insurance company declined to pay out and that remains an ongoing issue in the hands of the court. However, builders had to be called in regardless as there were safety issues. The news became worse and it transpired that the whole of the side patio was in danger of imminent collapse.
Once the extent of the damage had been assessed and the size of the hole was visible, a decision needed to be made on how to progress. Whilst it was a disastrous situation it did provide a previously un-thought-of opportunity; building another lodge room next to the existing one. A fellow Brother, Dimitry Nazarov, who has a building company, provided an exceptional quote to repair the damage. A debt of gratitude is owed to Dimitry who dealt with all the architects and Town Hall as well as overseeing the actual building work. Without his help and assistance, the project would never have been completed so swiftly or to such a standard.
Taking the financial estimates into account and the difference between the cost of filling the enormous hole versus that of creating a new room being marginal, together with the view that we would never have another chance to improve on the original building, a new lodge room was decided upon. So, for a second time in its life Sociedad Compás saw another group of forward-thinking Masons work to enhance it.
2019 -FUND-RAISING FEVER
2019 was a year of feverish fund-raising activity with events being held every month or so and donations made from individuals, Lodges, the Province of Valencia, District Grand Mark Masons of Spain and the Masonic Homes of Valencia.
The fund-raising activities included Musical Bingo, Cockney Party Night, Ploughman's Lunch, Christmas Carols, Guess the weight of the Christmas cake, Adopt Max the Bear, a SMARTIE Challenge and Sponsor a Floor Tile.
The end result was a second Lodge room with better storage facilities completed by December 2019 – truly remarkable. The new pedestals were generously made and donated by Bob Rough. Bob also donated the Boards that will hang in the new lodge room once its completed. A new Almoners store was created and fitted out by Frank Hammond. Other internal fixtures and fittings were installed by Paul Burleston, Steve Cardwell, Steve Robertson and Ian Bullock.
To all those who made a donation or attended a fund-raising event or activity our sincere thanks, we really could no´t have done it without you. What does need to be acknowledged is that those functions would not have taken place without the support of many of the Brethren´s wives and partners. Their contribution to the organisation of all the activities and the food preparation cannot be underestimated and unreserved thanks must go to all of them who have and continue to be involved.
Now that there were two Lodges there needed to be a way of distinguishing between them so the Committee had to decide upon the names for each. The original Lodge was named The Heritage Temple as it was the first Lodge created by the original farsighted Brethren. The new Lodge was named The Legacy Temple as it will be the legacy of today's Brethren for future generations.
So on behalf of the Committee and all that have worked tirelessly to bring this fine building from a burnt-out wreck to the fine Masonic Temple that it is today, please enjoy it and remember to spare a thought for the hard work and toil that was done in the spirit of Freemasonry for the benefit of all that follow.
2019 was a year of feverish fund-raising activity with events being held every month or so and donations made from individuals, Lodges, the Province of Valencia, District Grand Mark Masons of Spain and the Masonic Homes of Valencia.
The fund-raising activities included Musical Bingo, Cockney Party Night, Ploughman's Lunch, Christmas Carols, Guess the weight of the Christmas cake, Adopt Max the Bear, a SMARTIE Challenge and Sponsor a Floor Tile.
The end result was a second Lodge room with better storage facilities completed by December 2019 – truly remarkable. The new pedestals were generously made and donated by Bob Rough. Bob also donated the Boards that will hang in the new lodge room once its completed. A new Almoners store was created and fitted out by Frank Hammond. Other internal fixtures and fittings were installed by Paul Burleston, Steve Cardwell, Steve Robertson and Ian Bullock.
To all those who made a donation or attended a fund-raising event or activity our sincere thanks, we really could no´t have done it without you. What does need to be acknowledged is that those functions would not have taken place without the support of many of the Brethren´s wives and partners. Their contribution to the organisation of all the activities and the food preparation cannot be underestimated and unreserved thanks must go to all of them who have and continue to be involved.
Now that there were two Lodges there needed to be a way of distinguishing between them so the Committee had to decide upon the names for each. The original Lodge was named The Heritage Temple as it was the first Lodge created by the original farsighted Brethren. The new Lodge was named The Legacy Temple as it will be the legacy of today's Brethren for future generations.
So on behalf of the Committee and all that have worked tirelessly to bring this fine building from a burnt-out wreck to the fine Masonic Temple that it is today, please enjoy it and remember to spare a thought for the hard work and toil that was done in the spirit of Freemasonry for the benefit of all that follow.
