Historic Meeting house reopens
Repairs to Come-To-Good Meeting House have been completed
Come-To-Good Meeting House in Cornwall is celebrating the completion of repairs to its thatched roof after successfully raising the funds.
The Grade I-listed Meeting house, near Truro, was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register 2024, for which it received significant funding. It also received a £35,000 National Churches Trust grant.
As one of the oldest Meeting houses in England, the building near Feock underwent repairs for its traditional thatched roof to prevent water from leaking in and damaging the structure, using traditional thatching skills and materials.
Miranda Bird, clerk at Come-to-Good Meeting, told the Friend that, while most of the historical work is complete, there will be more repairs later in 2025. The building re-opened in mid December and held a Meeting for Worship and soup lunch on Christmas Day. ‘It’s a really buzzy Meeting – a complete delight and a counter to all the rural stories you hear [about low attendance]. We have loads happening and people get on really well. I’m so grateful to all the Quakers who donated.’
Set in a remote hamlet, Friends have been gathering here regularly since 1680, with the Meeting house eventually completed in 1710.
Built of white-painted cob, a blend of earth and straw, the Meeting house’s thatched roof is made from combed wheat reed.
