Cost
How much does Freemasonry Cost?
First thing to note as we get reminded frequently is that Freemasonry certainly isn't 'free'! However it is an increasingly affordable hobby and to illustrate this we have laid out the costs below.
Initial "One Off" Joining Fee
The initial "one off" joining fee is made up of a small donation to charity, all of the books and literature required for your initiation, full details of these costs are outlined before joining, the current (2023/24) joining fee is £110. Our dress code of a Dinner Suit (DJ), white shirt and black bowtie will be required if not already owned.
Annual Subscription
Every year we pay subs to cover the cost of renting our meeting location, administration costs and our much smaller subscriptions to both the Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex and the United Grand Lodge of England. Subscription for 2024 will be £210.00 per member. There are costs for regalia that might be required over the coming years, these start from about £30.00 for your first one and steps up if you chose to progress further (second hand regalia items are widely available).
Dining
After every meeting we have an optional 'festive board' (dinner). This at Bishop Edward Story Lodge usually costs £25 per meal. Drinks are extra on top of this.
Visiting
One of the greatest joys of Freemasonry is visiting other Lodges to meet more Freemasons, visiting new buildings or as a nice evening off when working away from home. Being a member means you can visit any Lodge in the country and barring any dining costs it is complete free to do so!
Charity
There is an expectation that all members will make donations to charity but our members are reminded never to give more than they can afford. As an organisation we raise a significant amount of money for masonic and non-masonic charities and at a typical meeting you can expect a raffle and a collection to help members who may require some short-term assistance.