Brighton Friends Meeting House
Encyclopedia
The Brighton Friends Meeting House is a Friends meeting house
(Religious Society of Friends
place of worship) in the centre of Brighton
, part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex
, England
. The building, which dates from 1805, replaced an earlier meeting house of 1690 what was then a small fishing village on the Sussex coast. Located at the junction of Ship Street and Prince Albert Street in The Lanes
, the heart of Brighton's "old town" area, its architectural and historic importance has been recognised by English Heritage
's granting of Grade II listed status.
, but some freedom was granted after the 1689 Toleration Act was passed under William and Mary
's joint sovereignty. By 1690, the community acquired a former malthouse and some adjoining land, which became their first permanent meeting house and a burial ground respectively. This stood near the junction of North Street and New Road, where the Pavilion Theatre
now stands. When some pleasure gardens were laid out next to the meeting house in the 1790s, the community sold its grounds (known as Quaker's Croft and extending to 1 acre (0.404686 ha)) to the Prince Regent
, and sold the building separately; it was immediately demolished by its new owner. They used the £1,800 funds to buy a plot of land east of Ship Street for £1,000 and build a new meeting house, accessed by a narrow passageway next to two cottages which came with the land. It had an attached caretaker's cottage, and opened for worship in 1805. A large extension was added to the north in 1850; and in 1876, another extension was built to house educational facilities. This is now used for various cultural activities as well.
When the meeting house opened, it included a graveyard, but its size was significantly reduced when Prince Albert Street was built in 1838. A new burial ground, then in the parish of Rottingdean
to the east of Brighton, was created in 1855. This in turn was built over in 1972, when the link road to Brighton Marina
was built; bodies were disinterred and taken to another cemetery.
s remain to their left. Each window is a different height, and those on the ground and first floors are arched at the top.
The main section of the meeting house is the 1850 centre section. This is arranged over two storeys and is topped by a cornice
d pediment
and a gable
d roof. There are twin arched entrances in a covered porch, which has an entablature
carved with the words . There is one window on each side of the porch, and three round-arched windows at first-floor level; these have architrave
s and are connected by a long sill.
The attached cottage and adult education centre are included in English Heritage's listing for their "group value"—they are considered architecturally complementary to the meeting house. The cottage is on the south side of the meeting house, and has a slate
roof and exterior Flemish bond brickwork decorated with flint
and stone dressings. The 1876 extension, on the left (north) side, was built in a similar style to the first extension of 1850; it has two storeys, each with two paired windows on each side of the entrance. The former graveyard is now a garden which surrounds the extension on two sides.
The meeting house and its associated buildings were listed at Grade II on 11 April 1995. It is one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
(Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
place of worship) in the centre of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The building, which dates from 1805, replaced an earlier meeting house of 1690 what was then a small fishing village on the Sussex coast. Located at the junction of Ship Street and Prince Albert Street in The Lanes
The Lanes (Brighton)
The Lanes are a collection of narrow lanes in Brighton, in the city of Brighton and Hove famous for their small shops and narrow alleyways.-History:...
, the heart of Brighton's "old town" area, its architectural and historic importance has been recognised by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
's granting of Grade II listed status.
History
The Quaker community in Brighton had been prevented from congregating in public by the 1664 Conventicle ActConventicle Act 1664
The Conventicle Act of 1664 was an Act of the Parliament of England that forbade conventicles...
, but some freedom was granted after the 1689 Toleration Act was passed under William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
's joint sovereignty. By 1690, the community acquired a former malthouse and some adjoining land, which became their first permanent meeting house and a burial ground respectively. This stood near the junction of North Street and New Road, where the Pavilion Theatre
Pavilion Theatre (Brighton)
The Pavilion Theatre is a theatre in Brighton, England. It is part of the wider Brighton Dome complex of buildings. It was built in 1935, originally as a supper room, but later converted into a theatre. Its audience capacity is 232 seated or 350 standing....
now stands. When some pleasure gardens were laid out next to the meeting house in the 1790s, the community sold its grounds (known as Quaker's Croft and extending to 1 acre (0.404686 ha)) to the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, and sold the building separately; it was immediately demolished by its new owner. They used the £1,800 funds to buy a plot of land east of Ship Street for £1,000 and build a new meeting house, accessed by a narrow passageway next to two cottages which came with the land. It had an attached caretaker's cottage, and opened for worship in 1805. A large extension was added to the north in 1850; and in 1876, another extension was built to house educational facilities. This is now used for various cultural activities as well.
When the meeting house opened, it included a graveyard, but its size was significantly reduced when Prince Albert Street was built in 1838. A new burial ground, then in the parish of Rottingdean
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a coastal village next to the town of Brighton and technically within the city of Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, on the south coast of England...
to the east of Brighton, was created in 1855. This in turn was built over in 1972, when the link road to Brighton Marina
Brighton Marina
Brighton Marina is an artificial marina situated in Brighton, England. The construction of the marina itself took place between 1971 and 1979, although developments within it have continued ever since. The marina covers an area of approximately...
was built; bodies were disinterred and taken to another cemetery.
Architecture
The original (1805) section is of three storeys with a single entrance at the southwest corner. The windows on the storeys above the entrance are bricked up; the original sash windowSash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s remain to their left. Each window is a different height, and those on the ground and first floors are arched at the top.
The main section of the meeting house is the 1850 centre section. This is arranged over two storeys and is topped by a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
d pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
and a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. There are twin arched entrances in a covered porch, which has an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
carved with the words . There is one window on each side of the porch, and three round-arched windows at first-floor level; these have architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
s and are connected by a long sill.
The attached cottage and adult education centre are included in English Heritage's listing for their "group value"—they are considered architecturally complementary to the meeting house. The cottage is on the south side of the meeting house, and has a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof and exterior Flemish bond brickwork decorated with flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and stone dressings. The 1876 extension, on the left (north) side, was built in a similar style to the first extension of 1850; it has two storeys, each with two paired windows on each side of the entrance. The former graveyard is now a garden which surrounds the extension on two sides.
The meeting house and its associated buildings were listed at Grade II on 11 April 1995. It is one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
See also
- Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: A–BGrade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: A–BAs of February 2001, there were 1,124 listed buildings with Grade II status in the English city of Brighton and Hove. The total at 2009 was similar. The city, on the English Channel coast approximately south of London, was formed as a unitary authority in 1997 by the merger of the neighbouring...
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove