Masonic Lodge

Ballater Masonic Lodge

By Jim Sansbury

Ballater Lodge, Queens Road

During the recent Covid lockdowns all meetings at the Masonic Lodge in Ballater were cancelled. For some time, the members of the Lodge have realised that the Lodge building was not in a very good state of repair, and that the interior decor was drab and showing its age. Thus, it was decided to undertake a complete refurbishment of the building inside and out whilst it was lying unused. Work started in November ‘21 with the removal of all furniture and decorations from the main hall of the Lodge. Due to a very large crack in the ceiling, the whole lath and plaster ceiling had to be removed and replaced with plaster board, whilst preserving a very delicate cornice that surrounds the ceiling. At the same time electricians rewired the main hall, making provision for downlighters and heaters. The whole roof was insulated, and at the same time a team of builders set about the painstaking task of repairing all the windows in the building. With the rewiring complete, the decorators then commenced to strip off all the antiquated wallpaper and the varnish from the doors and wall panelling. Once the surfaces had been filled and sanded, redecoration commenced. While all this internal work was in progress, the roof of the building underwent a close inspection and any remedial work such as slipped or broken tiles was carried out. With decoration complete, the final fixing of light fittings and heating was completed, and the new Masonic pavement installed on the floor of the Lodge. Since relaxation of Covid restrictions, regular Masonic meetings have resumed in our splendid new surroundings. All the members of the Lodge would like to thank the following people for their hard work and excellent craftmanship. Colin Burnett, Torphins - Major building works and window repairs.

Ballater Lodge post refurbishment. Davie Crawford, Ballater. Slater and roofer. Wayne Goodin, Midmar. Plasterer. R. Davidson, Banchory. Painter and decorator. Ian Cruikshank, Lumphanan. Electrical works. Michelle Keynyon-Roberts, Tarland. Upholsterer. We can shoot your kids Hang your Mother-In-Law or Mount your Partner!

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Ballater

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