One family unbroken

The old Meeting house at Ackworth School in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, has undergone a major renovation. Year 10 pupil Jacob Sowter describes its history and work on the renovation and fellow students Isabel Parkinson and Lizzie Upson reflect on what the

In 1847, nearly seventy years after the founding of Ackworth School, the Meeting house was built in accordance with the mid-eighteenth century Palladian style of the rest of the school. It is made of local sandstone and has a simple slate roof. This is held up by large wooden trusses. The building is composed of two floors with large windows lining the wall. All seats in the Meeting house face the speaker in the centre.

After 170 years of continuous use, and fighting the ‘good-old’ British weather, the Meeting house showed signs of age. It urgently needed repairing. There was damage to plasterwork due to leaking gutters that allowed water to get into the building. This formed areas where collapsing was a real threat. Furthermore, on the exterior, stonework was damaged. In the interior, the ceiling was crumbling and the windows were in a bad state.

Money was raised, through multiple fundraising activities, and a major renovation project was given the thumbs up. Aedas came to assess the damage, followed by William Annually of York to repair the building.

Scaffolding was constructed and then the roof was stripped. The timbers were in better condition than expected. The reason for this, revealed by a close inspection, was that excellent airflow had been built into the building – proof of the thought that went into the original construction. The timber, therefore, needed little repairs. The roof was subsequently re-slated. The decayed ashlar stone and stone dressing on the exterior was next to be restored.

The greatest concern was the plaster on the interior of the building. On first inspection, the ceiling appeared to require taking down and replacing because the ceiling joists had begun to separate from the walls. The ceiling had changed shape and this created areas of unstable plaster. However, the team aimed to restore, rather than replace, in order to protect the historic roof. Ceiling joists were extended and fixed securely, metal braces were put in place and the plaster was re-secured on the ceiling.

Now the building stands proud. It is at the core of Ackworth School.

Jacob Sowter

The Meeting house at the school provides a solid and timeless link to the long-gone members of our unbroken Ackworth family. This is the essence of what it means to me. It is a special place.

The knowledge that countless pupils and teachers have gathered together in it strengthens the omnipresent emphasis on family-like relationships in our school community. I always find space in my thoughts, whenever I sit in the building, to reflect on this.

The following evocative verse is from Ackworth’s Founders’ Day hymn, sung by students and staff for over two centuries.

Before us and beside us,
still holden in thine hand
a cloud unseen of witness,
our elder comrades stand:
one family unbroken,
we join, with one acclaim,
one heart, one voice uplifting
To glorify thy name.

Knowing that generations of Ackworth pupils have gathered to sing this same hymn, in the same building, shows a sense of unity and tradition. These vital elements of our school life are celebrated when our voices, joined as one, echo throughout the Meeting house.

In keeping with Quaker beliefs, the school comes together once a week for silent reflection. This period of tranquillity is important, especially in today’s fast-paced world. Ackworth students, having discovered what peace there can be in silence, go out into the world as more thoughtful individuals and I have found our Meeting for Worship to have the same effect on me.

Having had our precious building refurbished we know, for certain, that it will continue to house many more generations of Ackworth pupils.

It is not just the important events that the Meeting house observes. Watching over the minutiae of day-to-day school life, it has shared our achievements in the past, enjoys our accomplishments in the present and holds our hopes and dreams for the future.

Isabel Parkinson

The Meeting house is the epicentre of school activity: you could even compare it to the great hall of Hogwarts. It represents, for me, a sense of community, fitting in and belonging. At my junior school we didn’t have any room where the whole school could fit properly, so we had to crowd into the main hall and squish up, cross legged, on the floor. It didn’t have the sense of community that the Meeting house gives Ackworth School – a sense of family and openness and also a feeling of safety, seeing everyone at once.

Anne Widdowson, a student, said, ‘Just sitting down for Meeting can make you feel so many different things: First years make you feel powerful. Second years make you remember how things can change and almost make you regret your youth. Third years make you realise that, whatever people think, being immature can be a good thing. Your friends help you up when you are feeling down. Fifth formers are role models and sixth formers are who you aspire to be’.

Mr Boucher, who is head of English at the school, said he felt the Meeting house was ‘Potential. A chance to shed light, dispel dark and create shadow. A chance to illuminate, re-evaluate and learn – but not academically learn: really learn; life-learn. It’s about one person getting up in front of another person and communicating with them. You can’t get a more primitive, primal and exciting engagement with any other human being. It’s a choice to be open or to speak without saying anything. A chance to help someone make a better decision. A chance to make someone laugh or smile or think or cry.’

To the people driving past, the Meeting house may be just another building but to the school, the Quaker community and to me: it represents so much more.

Lizzie Upson

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Comments

I am delighted that the meeting house has been restored. What bothers me, howevr, is the condition of the porticoes facing onto The Green. The sandstone columns have been so eroded by the wind over the centuries that they are now a dire sight. I wonder if there are any plans to raise the money to have then restored.

By John H on 28th June 2012 - 10:25

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My mother, Eleanor Birchall, went to Ackworth for a short time (born 1900) but was not happy so was removed to Polam. There she startled ‘the powers that be’ by going from one girder to the next above the swimming pool and dropping into the water - something she had learned at Ackworth. I am delighted that in those days girls were allowed to be adventurous and that she passed this spirit on to Polam. Subsequently she went up Peglar’s chimney (Doncaster) in a bucket. And was the first woman to drive in Doncaster.

By basset on 28th June 2012 - 19:01

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