Quakers and their Meeting Houses

By Chris Skidmore

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This book provides a fascinating account of the architecture and historical development of the Quaker meeting house from the foundation of the movement to the 21st century.

The Quaker meeting house is a distinctive building type used as a place of worship by members of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Starting with buildings of the late-seventeenth century, the book maps how the changing beliefs and practices of Quakers over the last 350 years have affected the architecture of the meeting house.

The buildings considered are illustrated, predominantly in colour, and are from England, Scotland and Wales, with some consideration of colonial American examples. The book commences with an introduction which provides an accessible account of the early history of Quakerism and it concludes with a consideration of whether there is a Quaker architectural style and of what it might consist.

Key features

  • The first book to consider Quaker meeting houses in their historical and architectural context
  • Contains nearly 200 coloured illustrations of a wide range of Quaker buildings
  • Based on research commissioned by Historic England and British Quakers

Contents

  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: BUILDINGS OF UTMOST SIMPLICITY - Early meeting houses to 1715: Part 1
  • Chapter 2: THE VAIN FASHIONS OF THIS WORLD - Early meeting houses to 1715: Part 2
  • Chapter 3: A SUBDUED BUT NOT SILENT COMMUNITY - Quaker buildings 1715-1815
  • Chapter 4: A TURBULENT CENTURY - Quaker buildings 1815-1915
  • Chapter 5: INTO THE MODERN AGE AND BEYOND - Quaker buildings 1915-2020
  • Chapter 6: QUAKER ARCHITECTURE
  • Bibliography
  • Glossary of architectural terms
  • Glossary of Quaker terms
  • Gazetteer of listed Meeting Houses
  • Index

Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.

Additional Information

  • Publication Status: Completed
  • Pages: 176
  • ISBN: 9781802070804

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