Reading Quaker Meeting House - Buildings we Love
2 Church Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2SB
Visitors to the Meeting House in the centre of Reading find here a strikingly spacious and peaceful interior. The emphasis on functionality over ostentation is seen in the original features, such as the minister's gallery, sounding cove and remains of a partition mechanism. It is a building which truly speaks of the Quaker values of peace, simplicity and equality, which continue to this day. Quakers have been in Reading since the 1650s, meeting at first in private houses : the first meeting house on the present site in Church Street was built in 1715, and the present one was bult in 1835. Also on this site, which once was an ancient orchard, is a tranquil burial ground and garden. The uniform rows of simple grave-stones and absence of grand monuments symbolise the equality of all people. This includes the Victorian Quakers who made an enormous contribution to the industrial, social and political life of the town, such as the Huntley and Palmer families - and the Waterhouse family, including the celebrated Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse. There will be a talk at 11.00 on Quakers in Reading, and at 14.00 on Alfred Waterhouse and his contribution both locally and nationally. An exhibition of photographs and artwork by Reading Quakers will take the theme 'Buildings We Love'.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 20 September:
- 10.00 - 16.30
Location & directions
2 Church Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2SB
- Directions:
- Location: Church Street is a cul-de-sac with a passageway linking to the A327 London Street. Train: The Meeting House is about 20 minutes’ walk from Reading station. Bus: Numbers 5, 6, 6a, 21 and 21a from the station and town centre all stop in London Street. Parking: There is car parking on London Street (two hours free for blue badge holders). The Oracle and Queens Road car parks are nearby.
- Contact on day:
- Warden
- Telephone number:
- +441189507736
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The Meeting House doors are wide and accessible, the toilet is disability-friendly and the floor is level. There is a gravel path in the burial-ground and the lawn is uneven in places.
