Former Masonic Hall, 166-168 High Street

Former Freemason’s Hall built around 1873. In commercial use from around 1895 and converted to flats in 2017.

MATERIALS: yellow stock brick laid in Flemish bond with a stuccoed principal elevation. Timber sash windows. Renewed slate-covered hipped roof (gabled to the rear range).

PLAN: the main range was originally of two-storeys plus basement with a double-height first floor. The original internal layout is unclear as the plan-form was lost following later refurbishment. In the late-C20 the first floor was divided to create a second floor. To the rear is an off-centre rear range of four-storeys where the land slopes away to the west. In 2017 the interior was divided to create seven flats with one in the basement and two on each of the other floors, set either side of a new central staircase. The interior is not of special interest.

EXTERIOR: the ground floor glazed shopfront and entrances to the flats introduced in 2017 are not of special interest but the original dentil cornice with decorative end brackets are. Above, the stuccoed principal (east) elevation onto the High Street is of three bays with three large three-over-six replacement timber sash windows set between pilasters with Corinthian capitals and decorative panels to the original first floor. The central window has a triangular pediment with the outer ones having segmental pediments. Beneath the windows are narrow decorative panels. Above a dentil cornice terminating in antefix bearing a Rococo cartouche, the raised central panel of the parapet bears the legend ‘MASONIC HALL.’ in incised lettering.

The rear (west) elevation has one-over-one, mostly replacement, timber sash windows in the original segmental arched openings (except those on the third floor which were inserted in square-headed opening in 2017). These are arranged with a single row on the north side of the rear range and two rows on the south side. The west elevation of the rear range is blind but the returns have pairs of narrow one-over-one sashes to each floor.

INTERIOR: the interior* dates entirely to the 2017 conversion with internal divisions, stairs and fittings. There is no evidence of surviving historic features and the interior is not of special interest.

• Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the whole interior of the building and the 2017 ground floor shopfront (i.e. excluding the C19 dentil cornice and brackets) are not of special architectural or historic interest, however any works which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require LBC and this is a matter for the LPA to determine.