Mercers Hall is a former warehouse in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, England. It is located on the corner of Cross Keys Lane and Mercers' Alley, also known as Pinchbelly Alley, in the centre of the city. It is currently used as a

Masonic Hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history In ...

and is grade II listed with Historic England.

History

The building was constructed in the second half of the eighteenth century. By 1810 it was occupied by a cider merchant and brewer who used the upper floor as a grain store. It incorporates a sixteenth century roof and other

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

elements thought to have been taken from a

market hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and is especially common in many European countries. A food hall, the most usual ...

in Gloucester owned by St Peter's Abbey, and from a barn."Gloucester Masonic Hall", plaque, City of Gloucester. It was known as Mercer's Hall by 1878 and in 1898 was purchased by Washbourn Brothers who used it as a

bonded warehouse A bonded warehouse, or bond, is a building or other secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the l ...

for alcohol. In 1926 it was converted into a function room and dance hall by Charles Urch. During the Second World War it was used as a canteen for American forces, run by Gloucester Rotary Club. The hall was purchased by Gloucester Freemasons in 1955 who use it as a masonic temple for several local lodges.Gloucester Masonic Hall.
Innsworth Lodge No 8751. Retrieved 19 August 2017.

References

{{coord, 51.86527, -2.24708, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in Gloucestershire Masonic buildings in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century Grade II listed commercial buildings