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Designed by F. R. Wilson as a Sunday School for St Paul's Church in 1856. The Alnwick Lodge of Freeemasons took over the building in 1881.

Opening of St. Paul's Sunday School. —By the indefatigable exertions of the Rev. C. Charlton, the incumbent of St. Paul's, Alnwick, a Sunday School has been built in connection with that church, which cannot fail to be a great auxiliary advancing the religious education of the young of that parish. The church St. Paul's was built and endowed by the late venerated Duke of Northumberland; and the Duchess Dowager, with noble and pious liberality, presented the parish with the adjoining property of Croft House for a parsonage. The same illustrious lady not only contributed towards the building ofthe school, but also purchased the site, making altogether a contribution £263. The school is in close proximity to the church, and in its architectural adaptation harmonises both with tbe ecclesiastical beauty of church, and also with the prevailing style of the ancient architecture the town. The object which the architect, Mr. Frederick Wilson, had in view, was to give it a beautiful ecclesiastical character, both externally and internally, and to show that an effective building can, with careful attention, be made at a cheap rate—a fact to which much importance is to be attached, and which confirms the opinions which Mr. Ruskin so stoutly asserted in his lectures at Edinburgh. The ground work of the style is that of the Edwardean period, which prevails more the ancient architecture the town than that any later era; and the style has enabled the architect to use the excellent building stone of the neighbourhood, in that free, bold, irregular masonry, which is the charm the external effect as compared to the rigidly stiff and regular line of masonry which has been adopted for some time past in the town, and made its appearance notorious. The school has an open timber roof, well lighted, and excellent for sound. There is a lobby or cap and cloak room—water closets for both sexes —gas fittings—and a spacious garden around it, tastefully laid out. The whole, including the value of the site, has not cost more than £500. It was opened on Sunday the 8th ult., the presence of large number of the parishioners and about ninety of the scholars, by an appropriate service arranged by the reverend incumbent. At the close the service the rev. gentleman addressed the congregation, and, after alluding to the munificence ofthe Duchess Dowager and the professional taste and ability of Mr. Wilson, the architect,—whose valuable services have been entirely gratuitous—expressed his gratification at the completion of the work, and the prospect which it held out for enlarged usefulness for the religious training of the young the parish. At the same time warned parents not expect too much from the instruction imparted there, ' and in ardent terms and with copious illustration showed how important it was that home education should hand in hand with school instruction he explained the true nature and object of education, and concluded fervent prayer that the work which they had happily finished might continue to be a blessing from generation to generation. The school will have the able superintendence Mr. Yeaman, who conducted the school before the erection of the present building with so much Christian zeal. The choir of St. Paul's attended the occasion, under the leadership Mr. W. Wright, whose musical knowledge and untiring devotion (in connection with that Miss Phew, the organist,) its present high state excellence is mainly attributable, aud added much to the propriety and completeness the service.