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Lodge Averon is situated in the town of Alness, Ross & Cromarty, on the shores of the Cromarty Firth.
The Lodge received its Charter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland on 4th November 1897 and duly celebrated its Centenary in 1997. As part of the celebrations - under the then Master, Bro Ian Duxbury - a re-dedication ceremony was held within the Lodge. The Ceremony was conducted by the then MW Grand Master Mason, Brother the Rt Hon the Lord Burton. The afternoon meeting and evening harmony proved to be truly memorable occasions.
The Lodge building itself is a monument to Freemasonry in the Alness area, both in bygone days and in the present era, and is considered by some to be the finest Lodge building in the Province of Ross and Cromarty. The following extract compiled by the late Brother James Whyte, long serving and loyal Secretary of the Lodge, explains the origins of the building.
The United Free Presbyterian Church stood at the corner of Union Street and Drummond Street, Inverness. It had been designed and built by the architect Alexander Ross in 1863/64. When the congregation of this Church moved to Ness Bank Church in 1901, the old Church was carefully demolished, the stones transported to Alness where they were rebuilt to form the building of Lodge Averon.
It is interesting to note that the architect for the Lodge was the same one who was responsible for the design of the original FP Church. He was a keen Freemason himself and served as RWM of St John's Lodge No 6. The Lodge building was completed by 1902/03.
Records also show that the Church in Ardross, for the Perrins Estate of the time, was designed by Alexander Ross and completed in 1899. This would indicate that there was no connection between the Church and the Lodge, the former having been completed three years earlier.
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