Which Meeting house?
Andrew Backhouse writes about the role of a Meeting house in a local community
We’re six floors high – a lovely building on a lovely street, close to the railway station and with natural lighting into the basement. The central staircase has original iron bannisters with a semicircular room above the front door available for counselling sessions, a good Meeting room which can seat about forty, and lots of smaller rooms that have a range of seats and feel calm and welcoming.
The children’s room has lots of beanbags, by their request. There are two flats on the top floor and a law firm in part of the building. Unfortunately, there is no lift/disabled access, so we are experimenting with Meeting for Worship in a nearby building, but with Children’s Meeting and lunches continuing at base.
We sit in the old town: a charming 350-year-old building with an attractive garden in a nice environment. It feels secure and has a sense of peace. There are adjoining consulting rooms, a good large Meeting room and another room, both of which are served by the kitchen. Audiovisual facilities and wi-fi are provided.
We are on the edge of town, with a good outlook and not far from the railway station but without any parking. The building was once a barn, so is long and narrow, accommodating forty for Meeting for Worship at a pinch, with a good but small children’s room and no room for the teenagers. The building has comfortable chairs, but outside toilets and limited kitchen facilities. It is much enjoyed by reiki and yoga groups.
We are perfectly located: on a beautiful road – leafy and grassed verges – and we have our own labyrinth, a joyous place where kids and passersby play. Next door to the building is a theatre. Coming into the building you feel it is open and airy, and you find a large wooden ‘Q’ carved by a local member. There are several rooms, with the small Friends room loved for its wall of windows that look out on to the garden. The Meeting room seats 150, has a domed ceiling and makes you feel inspired and special. People often say they feel a spirit of hope in the room, of people being inspired by past Quakers. It gets used for nourishing courses, like yoga. Rooms are really well soundproofed, so the nursery in one room does not disturb other users.
We are a lovely, welcoming four-storey modern building in the shopping centre of the town. On weekdays and Saturdays it always has staff to welcome visitors. There is a great vegetarian café on the ground floor and it’s a building full of anything from music exams to interviews, from counselling to city council meetings, with lots of rooms to be used. Everywhere is wheelchair accessible.
There are sometimes queues of people to use the Quiet Room for prayer, and the Large Meeting Room is a lovely lit space for 130-plus, with a grand piano and stage. There are breakout rooms – and showers too – and don’t forget sitting out on the terrace on a sunny day!
So, which Meeting houses are we: Liverpool, Aylesbury, Ludlow, Dundee or Welwyn Garden City?
See ‘Eye - 22 July 2016’ for answers.
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