The first major milestone of Freemasonry occurred on 24 June 1717 when four London Lodges came together at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard and declared themselves the world’s first Grand Lodge.  By 1723 the new Grand Lodge published its first rule book, The Constitutions of the Freemasons, and was recording its quarterly meetings.  There is evidence to suggest that by this time its mandate had spread outside of London.  By 1736 the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland were also established and the three Home Grand Lodges set about taking Freemasonry overseas.  A rival Grand Lodge appeared in London in 1751 – the two existed side by side until they merged in 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England.  Much of the standardisation of ritual, procedures and regalia dates back to this integral unison.

The 19th and 20th Centuries saw a huge expansion of Freemasonry both at home and abroad.  After the two World Wars, Freemasonry provided the perfect platform for ex-servicemen to continue the camaraderie that had grown during their time at war; it was a calm centre in a world full of change.  In 1967 the 250th anniversary of the United Grand Lodge was celebrated in style at the Royal Albert Hall.  25 years later, the world’s press and television attended a meeting of the United Grand Lodge for the first time, to join them in celebrating its 275th anniversary at Earl’s Court in June 1992.  In 2017, the Tercentenary year, United Grand Lodge co-operated with Sky Television in its production of the five part series “Inside the Freemasons” that was broadcast in April and May 2017.

The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the Mother Lodge of the world wherever the English Constitution is run.  There are over 30 overseas Districts of UGLE.