Historic Meeting house no longer ‘at risk’
Blue Idol Meeting House no longer 'at risk'
The Blue Idol Meeting House in West Sussex has been taken off Historic England’s list of vulnerable historic buildings.
The seventeenth century Meeting house had been on the register since 2012, when its condition was judged ‘very bad’.
The roof was ‘starting to drop chunks of mortar and stone fragments onto the heads of worshippers,’ co-clerk Roger Wilson explained to the Friend. Closer inspection revealed that the walls and foundations had been eaten away by damp and rot.
The restoration of the historic Meeting house took more than two years and involved the replacement of the Horsham Stone slab roof and a number of oak timbers. Friends moved back into the Grade II* listed Meeting house in June.
‘Now, having inspected the work, Historic England has removed the Blue Idol from the register. We want to thank them for their guidance, and them and so many, many others for their support,’ Roger said.
He added that the structure of the Blue Idol is now safe for many years to come. ‘It is safe to say that the Meeting is more cheerful, dynamic and outward-looking than before,’ Roger concluded.
