Hawkshead Market Hall is both a community asset and the home of the Freemasons of Hawkshead, at the geographical ‘top of the Province’. The hall was opened in 1790 and was initially used as stables and market stalls. It holds a prominent position and cannot be easily missed by visitors.
Hawkshead Lodge No 4354 was consecrated in May 1922 and has met at the hall ever since. The centenary of the lodge was celebrated at the hall in May 2022, with the Provincial team in attendance, led by the then Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison.
Over the years, the brethren of Hawkshead Lodge have worked with the trustees of the Grade Two listed building, which is also registered as a charity, donating charity money raised by the lodge for projects which have resulted in the modernisation and increased use of the building.
The access to the first-floor hall, which is used for monthly Masonic meetings and by several other village organisations on a regular basis, is via very steep steps and the lodge suggested that a stair lift should be installed. The trustees agreed, and with help from the lodge, they negotiated listed building requirements, fire risk and national park permission. This has made the access to the upper floor much easier for less agile users. Each Christmas, Hawkshead Lodge donates money towards the Hawkshead Luncheon Club, which meets at the hall, several members of which are widows of past lodge members.
Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Schofield, said at a meeting that this project evokes the true spirit of Freemasonry, raising money for a project to benefit everyone in the community at large. Chairman of the Furness and South Lakeland Group, Chris Gray, echoed the sentiment, saying that the group heartily applauds Hawkshead Lodge’s community spirit and thanks them on behalf of the market hall’s many users.
