Masonic Lodge (Nyanza Lodge)

The Masonic Lodge, known as Nyanza Lodge, is located on Berryman's Lane in Ilminster. It was likely built in the early 19th century on older foundations. The structure features large blocks of rough ashlar and coursed limestone rubble, probably made from Moolham stone, with a pantile roof and a brick stack on the left gable end of the main part, which faces south. There is also a single-story rear wing constructed of Flemish-bond brick with a hipped slate roof. The building has an L-shaped plan.

The main block is two stories high and has a two-window range on the south front, which overlooks the garden of Abbot's Court. The first floor has two-light casement windows with glazing bars, while the ground floor features two wide segmental arches. The left arch contains four fixed plate-glass panes set between chamfered mullions, while a 1950 door fills the right arch. There is a similar arch to the right, which is part of the adjoining Abbot's Court. On the left return (west) of the main building, there is an 18th-century Ham Hill stone Tuscan-style doorcase that was repositioned in 1913, featuring a four-panel door with an overlight, dating from around 1860. The brick rear wing has a large boarded-up window and is connected to the next house to the north by a wall that includes a doorway under a stone lintel, with the lintel and quoin made of Ham Hill stone.

The interior has not been inspected. A high limestone rubble wall with a wooden planked gate is located close to the lodge and runs along the lane to the right, enclosing part of the garden of Abbot's Court, which is included in that description. Historically, in 1858, Captain John Hanning Speke, a member of the lodge and a contemporary of explorers such as Burton, Stanley, and Livingstone, claimed to have found the source of the Nile in Lake Nyanza, which he named Victoria N'yanza.