Sunderland Freemasons lodge gets £180,000 repair grant

Phoenix Hall was built in 1785

A 237-year-old masonic lodge is to undergo repairs after getting a £180,000 grant from Historic England.

Phoenix Hall in Sunderland is believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built lodge still in use by the Freemasons in England.

The hall, on Queen Street East, opened in 1785 and is one of only two Grade I-listed buildings in the city.

The repairs will be carried out as part of the Sunderland Heritage Action Zone and the work will start in May.

The hall's structure and interior has remained largely intact, with the organ and ceremonial furnishings still in place

The hall was built for £600 by local mason John Bonner to replace the masons' original building on Vine Street which was damaged by fire.

It was called Phoenix Hall as it "rose from the ashes" of the previous lodge, Historic England said.

It opened nine years after London's Grand Lodge finished the first masonic hall in England.

Historic England said the masons played an important role in Sunderland's history with lodge members paying for the construction of the Exchange Buildings and the first Wearmouth Bridge.

The area around the hall has been extensively redeveopled in recent years