Former Masonic Hall

Summary

A late-C19 Masonic Lodge incorporating parts of an earlier house.

Reasons for Designation

The former Masonic Hall, a late-C19 building incorporating parts of an earlier house, is listed for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: this is an example of the work of the well-respected Lancaster architectural practice of Paley & Austin reusing elements of an earlier building to create a new Masonic Hall
* Historic interest: this Masonic Hall is typical of the buildings erected to serve small lodges across the country in C19.

History

The Masonic Hall was erected by the 13 Craft Lodges and the Royal Chapter of Lancaster, who purchased the old Queens Head, a building with late-C17 origins, in 1884, converted it to a design by the Lancaster architects Paley & Austin, and held their first meeting in the refurbished building in May 1885. When refurbished the new structure contained a ground-floor library and first-floor temple but retained the older rear elevation and an adjoining outshot to the north. Cellars beneath the main part of the building are also thought to be C18.

In about 1914 the outshot to the rear of the hall was largely demolished to make way for construction of a new dining hall. In 1958 the adjacent two buildings to the east, now 72 Church Street, were demolished and replaced by a large two-storey plus cellar concrete-framed and stone clad extension to the Masonic Hall that contained a new temple at first floor level, a bar and cloakrooms at ground floor level, and a store and kitchen to the cellar. In 2011 and 2012, these later additions (not included in the listing) were converted to student accommodation and separated from the Masonic Lodge. At the same time the Masters Throne, associated panelling and loose furniture were transferred to a new Masonic Lodge at Rowley Court, Scotforth, Lancaster.

Details

A former Masonic Hall of 1885 by Paley & Austin but incorporating the rear parts of a late C17 building. The former Masonic Hall has a squared sandstone front elevation with ashlar dressings and a coursed rubble rear elevation.

Exterior: the Masonic Hall has a pitched roof and is of two and three storeys with a basement. The front elevation has been executed in a restrained Jacobean style. It has a deep plinth, a sill band on the first floor and a band with a parapet above the first floor windows. The doorway is to the right. The first floor is symmetrical with a central canted oriel window beneath a gable that is flanked on each side by a window. All these windows have a stone mullion and two transoms, all chamfered. The oriel has a panelled dado and is carried on a heavy corbel which springs from a shallow buttress. On the ground floor to the left of this buttress is a pair of two-light windows while to the right is the doorway with a battlemented lintel and a two-light window on its right. The rear gable wall has, at different levels, three two-light windows with chamfered mullions.

Interior: The Masonic Hall has been extensively modernised but retains a fireplace of probable Victorian date on the ground floor. There is a late C17 dogleg staircase rising from the basement to the upper floor, with closed strings, rectangular newels, turned balusters and a moulded handrail. There is a blocked mullion window on the staircase between ground and first floor and two others in a WC. The front first floor room contained the former temple and possesses a well-executed decorated plaster ceiling in blue and white with circular plaster wall plaques in relief containing paintings of masonic insignia. On the rear wall there is the temple's decorative timber entrance door having knockers to both the temple and landing and immediately above this there is an organist's balcony beneath a decorated arch that is now blocked to the rear. Upper rooms contain some early timber beams.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

383117

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cross, F, Time Honoured Lancaster, (1891), 473

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