The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI) is one of the four Masonic Charities in England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...

. The RMBI operates 17 care homes providing residential care

Care of residents

Residential care refers to long-term care given to adults or children in a residential setting rather than the patient's home. People with disabilities, mental health problems, or learning difficulties are often cared for at home by paid or voluntary caregivers, such family and friends, with...

, nursing care and dementia care. It also provides sheltered accommodation, a care advice team, holidays and home improvement

Home improvement

Home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home.-Types of home improvement:...

 loans.

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution’s roots started when United Grand Lodge of England

United Grand Lodge of England

The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...

 inaugurated the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund for men in 1842 and the Female Annuity Fund in 1849. The following year, 1850, the first Home was opened in East Croydon named the "Asylum for Worthy, Aged and Decayed Freemasons", and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI) was established. The Home remained in Croydon for over 100 years until 1955, when, due to the need for bigger premises, the Home was transferred to Harewood Court in Hove, East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

.

In the early 1960s, provision was extended to non-annuitants and, between 1960 and 1985, a further 14 Homes were set up or acquired around England and Wales. Four more Homes have been opened since then bringing the number of Homes run by the RMBI to 17.

Homes and Opening Dates

1955 Harewood Court, Hove, East Sussex

1966 Devonshire Court, Oadby, Leicestershire

1967 Scarbrough Court, Cramlington, Northumberland

1968 Prince George Duke of Kent Court, Chislehurst, Kent

1971 Connaught Court, Fulford, York

1973 Lord Harris Court, Sindlesham, Berkshire

1973 Albert Edward Prince of Wales Court, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan

Mid Glamorgan

Mid Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...

 

1977 Ecclesholme, Eccles, Manchester

1977 The Tithebarn, Great Crosby

Great Crosby

Great Crosby is an area of the town of Crosby, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England.-Location:In 1907, the Victoria County History described Great Crosby's location thus: 'The ancient township of Great Crosby, which includes Waterloo, lies on the northern shore of the estuary...

, Liverpool

1979 Queen Elizabeth Court, Llandudno, Conwy

1980 James Terry Court, Croydon, Surrey

Croydon

Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

 

1981 Cornwallis Court, Bury St. Edmunds

Bury St. Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds is a market town in the county of Suffolk, England, and formerly the county town of West Suffolk. It is the main town in the borough of St Edmundsbury and known for the ruined abbey near the town centre...

, Suffolk

1983 Zetland Court, Bournemouth, Dorset

1985 Cadogan Court, Exeter, South Devon

1994 Prince Michael of Kent Court, Watford, Hertfordshire

1995 Shannon Court, Hindhead, Surrey

1996 Barford Court, Hove

Barford Court, Hove

Barford Court is a care home operated by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution and situated on the seafront in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove...

, East Sussex

1998 Prince Edward Duke of Kent Court, Braintree, Essex

Braintree, Essex

Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...

 

2008 Scarbrough Court, Cramlington, Northumberland (re-built on the original site)

The RMBI Head Office is based in Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street

Great Queen Street

Great Queen Street is a street in central London, England in the West End. It is a continuation of Long Acre from Drury Lane to Kingsway. It runs from 1 to 44 along the north side, east to west, and 45 to about 80 along the south side, west to east...

along with the Freemasons’ Grand Charity, the Masonic Samaritan Fund and the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.