Ever since Freemasonry had been established in the southern part of Middlesex, most Lodges had held their
meetings at various local inns and hotels. These covered a broad area including, for example, Hounslow,
Isleworth, Brentford, Whitton, Shepperton and Strawberry Hill.

The move towards Masonic Centres in Middlesex had begun in the 1930’s and the first moves towards
establishing one in the Twickenham area were taken in 1947, when a committee of senior freemasons was
formed charged with finding a suitable venue. It is interesting to note that this initiative was the outcome
of informal discussions, which took place at a Masonic Service of Thanksgiving, to mark the end of the
2nd World War, held at St Albans Church, Teddington on Sunday 24th February 1947.

Success was soon achieved when in October 1950 the “Cole Court Hotel”, London Road, Twickenham,
was purchased for £21,000. In October 1950 the Twickenham District Masonic Council Ltd., a company
limited, by guarantee, without a share capital, was formed

Growth of Cole Court

Following the purchase of the property, a further £6,000 had to be spent to make good dilapidations and make
the building suitable for Masonic purposes. In 1959 a second suite of Lodge rooms was added and in
1965 a third suite was completed. Since then work has included the extension of the bar/lounge, additional
rooms and in 1995, a complete refurbishment of the kitchens. The Provincial grand Secretary and his
staff are based at the Provincial Office adjacent to Cole Court.