Sudbury re-opens after renovation

Sudbury Meeting House has re-opened after a long-delayed renovation

The historic Meeting house at Sudbury in Suffolk has re-opened after a long-delayed renovation.  The Grade-II listed building was officially opened again on Saturday 15 June by Adrian Osborne, mayor of Sudbury, and Betty Scrivener, clerk of the Meeting. It now has an eye-catching new porch.

Humanitarian and Quaker Terry Waite, who took part in the event, said: ‘The porch really is an attraction which enhances the old building. The work has brought it up-to-date so it can be used again. It’s been a long road but it’s a proud day to see it finished.’

Henry Ruse, Sudbury Meeting’s treasurer, explained: ‘The renovation was designed to bring the building up to date and project it more into the street to make it more visible.’

He added: ‘We have also upgraded the facilities, including the electrics, wheelchair access and the disabled toilets. Because it took so long to get through planning, we were forced to close the building and we were left kicking our heels.’

The renovation work had been delayed for more than two years by Babergh planners. Permission to extend the Meeting house, to add a porch, was initially granted in November 2010. However, a subsequent amendment to the design was turned down, resulting in a lengthy delay. Permission was finally granted last year.

Quakers have been active in Sudbury since the seventeenth century. Historian Roger Thompson names Sudbury as one of the towns that were ‘notorious wasps’ nests of dissent’. The Meeting house in Friars Street was originally built in 1805. A school room was added to the front of the building in the nineteenth century.

The renovation was funded by a legacy donation from John Savage. It came from the funds remaining after donations were made to charities in the Sudbury area.

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