This Brass plaque to mark the laying of the corner stone, the stone was blue granite and had been presented by W Bro J Hamley, is engraved with the date the stone was laid 3rd March 1882 and who laid the stone W Bro J.S. Sneath Worshipful Master of Lodge Fidelis No.1809, along with a list of other Brethren who were in attendance and lists the three founding Lodges who built the Temple Mariners Lodge No.168, Loyalty Lodge No.243, and Lodge Fidelis No. 1809.
The building of the Le Marchant Street Temple progressed well and the works were completed in nine months, the building contained a spacious entrance hall, with offices either side and the back of the banqueting room which was 40ft long 24ft wide and 12ft high and could accommodate at least 100 Brethren, on the first floor there were committee and dressing rooms and the Main Lodge Room, this was an impressive 40ft long 24ft wide and had a coved ceiling some 18ft high it was lighted by a sunlight in the centre and its proportions were admirably adapted for the working of the Lodges.
W Bro Sneath was Initiated into Franklin Lodge No.1140 Boston Lincolnshire on the 4th September 1861, Passed on the 4th December 1861 and Raised on the 5th February 1862, he joined Doyle’s Lodge of Fellowship No.84 on the 9th January 1867 and Lodge Fidelis No.1809 on the 4th February 1879.
In 1980 the Province identified that it needed to spend a considerable amount of money restoring the Le Marchant Street building and as this was not cost effective identified seven potential sites for a new centre, however these were rejected by the then Island Development Committee, it was not until around 1989-1990 that It as reinvestigated again, and as the costs to restore the building at this time was in the region of £2 Million Pounds it made economic sense to sell and build a new centre.
