Masonic Hall | |
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Pictured in 2013 | |
Former names | St George's Chapel |
General information | |
Location | Taunton, Somerset |
Coordinates | 51°00′45″N 3°06′19″W / 51.012397°N 3.105149°W |
Opened | 3 July 1822 |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Masonic Hall |
Designated | 4 June 1952 |
Reference no. | 1060044 |
The Masonic Hall in Taunton, Somerset, is designated by Historic England as a Grade II* listed building. It was originally built in the early 19th century as St George's Chapel, the first Roman Catholic chapel open for public worship in Taunton since the Reformation. The building, which forms the end of a terrace, features a series of prominent Ionic pilasters along the front and southern end.
Opened in 1822, St George's Chapel served Taunton's growing Catholic community for over 35 years, before they moved to a larger church which was completed in 1860. After being rented out for a time, when it was known as St George's Hall, the building was then sold in 1878 to a company acting on behalf of a group of Freemasons, who purchased it to provide a home for the Unanimity & Sincerity Lodge. It now hosts nine different Lodges of the Freemasons.