The Story so far.

The Vale of Itchen Lodge, was formed in 1962 by a group of Senior Railway workers to provide the benefit of Masonic opportunity to then more than 3000 local employees from the Railway Works in the Town. The Railway Works had commenced operations around the year 1900 with the Carriage and Wagon building operations that were transferred from Nine Elms in London to Eastleigh; later Steam Engines were built in the town too.

The founders of the Lodge were Freemasons from many parts of the South who regularly met at a house in Allbrook to discuss the opening of a new Lodge, that house over-looked the River Itchen on its way down from the South Downs of Winchester through Eastleigh to the Solent, as well as meandering through the surrounding wetlands of the Itchen Valley, at the end of which stood the Railway Works. With this brief explanation it does not take great imagination to understand how the Lodge came by its name!

Reluctantly because of the encroaching demise of the Railway Works and the reducing number of employee's, the Lodge opened its doors to men from “all trades and pastimes” in 1988.

Although the Railway Works completely closed at the turn of the Millennium, the site was purchased by a property development company and a section has recommenced operations providing carriage maintenance jobs for some 500 people; there are still a number of active members in the Lodge today who are or were originally 'Railway Workers' these are complimented by men from many Trades & Professions.