OUR MEETING HOUSE: A BRIEF HISTORY
The meeting for Summer Friends was, at first, held in a private house. A local man, not a Quaker, who had given land to several denominations, as sites for their chapels, offered Friends a plot, 18 by 50 yards, on the corner of Oxford Street and High Street, for a Meeting House and burial ground
(i)
.
At the ensuing Monthly Meeting, it was noted that as the number of Friends and visitors was increasing, the offer was accepted (ii) . The Meeting House, as opened in 1846, faced Oxford Street (iii).
It was not finished for some years, and in 1855, when the cost of building the Meeting house and the cottage was reported at £1,110 (iv) , the loft and stairs had still not been built. The land was never used for burials, as local circumstances induced friends not to apply it.
The style of building is rather unusual for Friends. As to the layout, as far as it can be ascertained, it was equally unusual. It was understood that one reason for the size of the Meeting house was that the three local schools worshipped here.
Weston Meeting House was destroyed by bombing in 1942 (v) . The present meeting house was built on the same site, but with the main entrance now repositioned on Oxford Street. Interestingly, once again, it was built to have a space big enough to accommodate local schools who made good use of it on a Sunday. Now, it is the entire local community that enjoys its spaciousness, through our various events and lettings opportunities.
[ References : (i) TP 1870.45; (ii) and (iii) MM ix.1846; (iv) MM14.xi 1845; (v) The Friend 1956.22 ]
At the ensuing Monthly Meeting, it was noted that as the number of Friends and visitors was increasing, the offer was accepted (ii) . The Meeting House, as opened in 1846, faced Oxford Street (iii).
It was not finished for some years, and in 1855, when the cost of building the Meeting house and the cottage was reported at £1,110 (iv) , the loft and stairs had still not been built. The land was never used for burials, as local circumstances induced friends not to apply it.
The style of building is rather unusual for Friends. As to the layout, as far as it can be ascertained, it was equally unusual. It was understood that one reason for the size of the Meeting house was that the three local schools worshipped here.
Weston Meeting House was destroyed by bombing in 1942 (v) . The present meeting house was built on the same site, but with the main entrance now repositioned on Oxford Street. Interestingly, once again, it was built to have a space big enough to accommodate local schools who made good use of it on a Sunday. Now, it is the entire local community that enjoys its spaciousness, through our various events and lettings opportunities.
[ References : (i) TP 1870.45; (ii) and (iii) MM ix.1846; (iv) MM14.xi 1845; (v) The Friend 1956.22 ]