Stourbridge Friends' Meeting House

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5772619710184512965.post-66592283899470837482007-06-08T16:33:00.000Z2007-06-08T18:22:01.422ZStourbridge Friends' Meeting House<div align="justify"><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_q7xI0dKAZ4M/RmmFjllHFYI/AAAAAAAAAtE/kQYiijLNPk0/s1600-h/stourbridge+fmh+toward+gallery.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073733301639255426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_q7xI0dKAZ4M/RmmFjllHFYI/AAAAAAAAAtE/kQYiijLNPk0/s400/stourbridge+fmh+toward+gallery.jpg" border="0" /></a>The Meeting room and gallery Stourbridge Friends' Meeting House Hidden behind a high wall adjoining the busy Stourbridge ring road, this meeting house and burial ground of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) form a significant oasis of peace and calm. The history and the style of the building is typical of early Quaker places of worship, but it is a rare survival, as so many others have now disappeared or been rebuilt. Prominent amongst some of the first Quakers in Stourbridge was the ironmaster Ambrose Crowley, who leased at a peppercorn rent to the meeting, the parcel of land on which this building was constructed in 1689. Records show that this was a time of considerable persecution for Quakers, but the erection of buildings such as this at the end of the 17th century reflects a growing tolerance of non-conformists following the upheavals of the Reformation and Civil War. The meeting house looks like a small cottage with single storey rendered brick walls, mullioned windows with leaded lights, and a pitched tile roof. A small dormer window towards the east end lights the gallery. The eastern extensions with kitchen, lavatories and extra meeting spaces were added in the late 20th century. However, the main part of the building is still much as it was in 1689, and has many original features typical of meeting houses of the period. Many of the doors and windows still have their original locks and hinges which were probably made at Crowley's ironworks.The oak panelled meeting room contains many contemporary benches with distinctively designed armrests. The adjacent lobby is also panelled, and scratched on the woodwork are the names of Friends who were taken to Worcester Gaol during the 17th century persecution. From here a wooden stair winds up to the gallery, the front of which has a hinged wooden shutter at the opening into the main meeting room, which allowed the gallery to be closed off for use as a women's meeting room. Crowley was buried along with other members of his family in the burial ground outside. Today several typical simple Quaker gravestones can be found at the side of the grounds, now landscaped to form a delightful garden, to which access can only be gained from a small gate off Scotts Road. The circuitous route necessary to reach the meeting house today as a result of road development in this part of Stourbridge only serves to enhance the value of the tranquility and sense of timelessness, which is preserved in this least well known but oldest place of continuous worship in the town centre. The Historic Churches Trust assisted with repairs to the main beam of the meeting house in 2002, and has been very pleased to make a small grant towards works on the historic boundary wall during this year. We welcome applications for grants for major as well as smaller but necessary projects from churches of all periods and denominations. Tim Bridges Trustee </div>wdhcthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10994075804686424209noreply@blogger.com