Today, Hoyle Court in Baildon, BD17 6JS, is one of the largest Masonic Halls in the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding and the only one to retain its formal gardens and terrace.
A fascinating building, both architecturally and historically. It is a Queen Anne- style house built by the wealthy Bradford Mill owner, Mr. Sam Ambler between 1910 and 1912 for his wife, Emily Beatrice.
Sam Ambler was a descendant of Jeremiah Ambler, who established the Bradford company Jeremiah Ambler and Sons Ltd in 1789, at a time when Bradford was one of the great powerhouses of the textile industry. They were spinners and weavers of all kinds of wool and hair, but the company specialised in producing quality mohair from the Angora goat.
Architecturally, Hoyle Court is a grand and imposing building, constructed of snecked dressed rubble with ashlar dressings, hammer dressed stone to the rear and a stone slate roof, in the Edwardian Baroque style.
In the beginning, there was an aviary with tropical birds and a monkey house. Sam also bought a foul-mouthed green parrot from a sailor. The bird lived in the kitchen, but one day, the cook was so disgusted with its language that she put it in the corridor. Unfortunately, it caught a cold and died.
Ruth, the daughter of Sam Ambler, married Emerson Lyman Fisher-Smith in 1923.
This was the first ever wedding to take place at Hoyle Court, which is now a fully licenced wedding venue, hosting dozens of wedding receptions each year.
The Great Depression also affected the Ambler company and, like many other people, the Amblers started to lose their fortune. However, the Hoyle Court estate was still a thriving environment, employing staff for both the house and gardens.
There was a cook, scullery maid, three housemaids and a nurse for the grandchildren. This was considered a skeleton staff compare to the number of servants before the crash of 1929. Staff quarters were in the loft and still exist today. There is a game preparation room in the cellar that is now used for storage.
Sam Ambler died in 1948.
In 1949, Emily was still living at Hoyle Court with her brother-in-law and two aged servants. Finally, Emily decided to move back to the United States to be near the rest of her family who had emigrated in 1937, and Hoyle Court was bought by the Freemasons in 1953 for a princely sum of £7,500.
Most of the surrounding farmland was compulsory purchased by Shipley Urban District Council in 1960 and was developed for housing.
Built in 1957, the main Temple upstairs was designed to hold up to 180 Freemasons, although we don’t believe it has ever had a ceremony with more than 170. It is a grand, but understated design.
On the ground floor, in what is now the bar area, is a richly decorated fireplace with a copy of an original painting of Venice hanging above. This painting is of special interest as the original was left by Emily before she emigrated to the United States. This picture was sold by the Freemasons and, in 1957, the sale funded a two-storey extension, which is now the largest Temple and main dining room.
The original Temple is on the ground floor and is called the Egyptian Room. It is a delightful space that displays pictures which were in the original Masonic rooms, located above the Baildon Picture House.
These pictures were transferred to Hoyle Court in 1953. Unfortunately, some were lost in transit and others became water damaged and too mouldy to preserve. These have been recreated by Derek Radcliffe of the Lodge of Felicity (No. 6001), with each being placed in the room according to the attributes of the ancient God they represented.
Hoyle Court remains a thriving Masonic centre and is one of the three largest in the Province of Yorkshire, West Riding. With its huge car park, beautiful grounds, superb function room, the building is one of the jewels on the crown of the Province.
It currently is home to 12 Masonic Craft Lodges, five Royal Arch Chapters, one Knights Templar Preceptory and a Rose Croix Chapter, as well as the Hoyle Court Ladies’ Luncheon Club.
Sadly, as yet, there are no active Women’s Lodge meetings at Hoyle Court.
It also hosts many non-masonic events, such as wedding receptions, funeral receptions, corporate meetings, training courses, private functions….all of which help cover the substantial costs of maintaining the impressive building and grounds. (Looking after a Grade II listed building is not for the faint-hearted!
As Members of Moorland Lodge (No. 6591), the largest Lodge based in Hoyle Court, we all take great pride in our outstanding Masonic Hall, which we hope will remain a Masonic meeting place for many years to come.
If you would like to learn more about Hoyle Court or are interested in Freemasonry, then please get in touch. welcome@moorlandlodge.co.uk or visit our website: www.moorlandlodge.co.uk
