The Lodge Ampthill,
No.3682 (Coimbatore)
Date of Warrant: July 17, 1913
In the early 20th Century, something interesting was happening in Coimbatore. The industrial town had many freemasons settled there, who were either unattached to any lodge, or were members of Lodges in other towns such as Lodge of Rock etc. Realizing this, and also taking cognizance of a great number of prospective members in the region, some of the brethren conceived the idea of starting a Freemasons lodge in Coimbatore and applied to the Grand Lodge of England for a warrant through the District Grand Lodge, naming the lodge after the Pro Grand Master who accorded permission for the same, RW Bro. Lord Ampthill.
Fun fact: the consecration of the Lodge took place on the upstairs hall of Mahalakshmi Illam, residence of Rao Bahadur Arcot Thoppaiya Mudali Thiruvenkataswamy Mudaliar (ATT Mudaliar), which in recent past was home to the Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank. Benevolence being their second nature, ATT Mudaliar’s sons became members of the Lodge, and offered a magnificent building suitable only for a Masonic Temple.
