The first Freemason lodge in Southeast Asia was established in the British Bencoolen (now Bengkulu, Indonesia) in 1765. The first lodge in Singapore, Zetland in the East Lodge No. 508 E. C., was established on 8 December 1845 at Armenian Street, later relocating to a newly constructed Masonic Hall at Coleman Street in 1879.[1][2][3]
The Hall persists to the modern day,[4] having undergone numerous renovations and restorations.[5][6] In 2008, there were an estimated 800 members.[7] The number decreased to 650 by 2018.[8] In 2019, the Lodge started a charity for underprivileged children.[9]
The Lodge in Singapore is under the charge of the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago, a unit of the United Grand Lodge of England.[10]
^Makepeace, Walter; Brooke, Gilbert E; Braddell, Roland St J (1991). One hundred years of Singapore. Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN0-19-588572-4.
^Hao, Wan Meng (15 April 2011). Heritage Places of Singapore. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte. pp. 77–78. ISBN9789814312950.