About Cheshire Fairways Lodge
Cheshire Fairways is a friendly lodge for Freemasons with an interest in playing or watching golf and golfers with an interest in Freemasonry.
The lodge was renamed in 2026 to become a "special interest" golfing lodge joining the other special interest lodges in the Province of Cheshire focussing on rugby, motorsports, communications, shooting, motorcycling and other pastimes.
Membership of Freemasonry is open to people from all backgrounds and the organisation’s aim is to empower members to be the best they can be – it’s about building character, supporting members as individuals and helping them make a positive contribution to society. There are more than 7,000 Lodges, with any man over the age of 18 welcome to join, irrespective of their race or religion. Subscriptions in this lodge are kept as low as possible to encourage joining members. With four meetings a year members have free time to visit other lodges.
We are all about enjoying golf and welcome golfers of all abilities and non-golfers. It is not about low handicaps and competitive golf but enjoyment and pleasure.
The lodge is adopting a golfing theme with golf related gavels, wands and furniture for the lodge room. Past Masters of the lodge will wear green jackets and members will wear one white golf glove in meetings. Green socks are optional. Instead of raffles at social boards there are indoor putting and pitching competitions.
The four masonic meetings held on the second Fridays in October, December, February and April will be supplemented by four golf and social days of differing formats during the summer months from May to September.
Our History
The Lodge was consecrated at Freemasons' Hall, Queen Street, Chester on 13th September 1927 as The North Cheshire Lodge No. 4939. It met at the Council School in Stockton Heath and dined at the Victoria Hotel until relocating to The Cottons Hotel in Knutsford in 1937 where it remained until moving to the Old Council offices in Knutsford in 1954. When the council sought to repurpose the building the lodge moved to the old 'Electricity Showrooms' on Bexton Lane in 1962 before becoming one of the first lodges to move into the newly built Leicester Warren Hall at the other end of Bexton Lane in 1969 where it remains today.
The Provincial Grand Master of the day (R.W.Bro. Cuthbert Leicester-Warren), the Deputy Provincial Grand Master (W.Bro. George Leigh) and the Provincial Grand Secretary (W.Bro. Warren Hastings) were founders. The lodge was a senior Provincial Officers lodge and as such did not parade in, wear gloves or sing the opening and closing odes. A tradition which remained long after the Lodge of Gratitude assumed that role in place of The North Cheshire Lodge in 1946.
In April 1928 the lodge qualified as a Hall Stone Lodge and was presented with a Hall Stone Jewel on 6 June 1928 by the Grand Master at the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge. The lodge's name appears in the list of 1,321 lodges inscribed on commemorative marble panels in Freemasons' Hall, Great Queen Street, London.
In 2010 the lodge was amalgamagted with The Haven Lodge No. 5710 and changed its name to The North Cheshire Haven Lodge No. 4939. Both lodges practised Emulation Ritual and continued their proud tradition of delivering good ritual. With both lodges having banners both were displayed during meetings.
By 2025 the lodge had run its course and the members were considering options for its future when the idea of becoming a golf lodge was floated. After much research and formulation of plans the lodge resolved to go in this direction and was renamed by Grand Lodge in March 2026 as Cheshire Fairways Lodge No. 4939 supported by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire. The official renaming ceremony will take place in September 2026 and the lodge will celebrate its centenary in September 2027 its future looking bright in its new guise.