Coanwood Friends Meeting House
Encyclopedia
Coanwood Friends Meeting House is a redundant Quaker
meeting house
under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust. It stands in an isolated, unpopulated valley south of Hadrian's Wall
, about 2 miles (3 km) east of the village of Coanwood
, and about 5 miles (8 km) south of the town of Haltwhistle
in Northumberland
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
(£ as of ), on a plot of land given by Cuthbert Wigham. The meeting house is historically important because it has not been modified since then, other than the original heather
-thatch
roof being replaced by slate
s during the 19th century. The building has been used in the past by the Coanwood Reading Society, and contained a library with books to loan. Since coming under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust it has been repaired "in a manner that conserves its unique fabric and furnishings".
. Its plan is rectangular, measuring 31.1 metres (102 ft) long by 6.2 metres (20 ft) wide. It is constructed in squared stone in four bays
with rusticated
quoin
s and dressings. The roof has eaves of stone flags with slates above, and a stone ridge. There are fixed 12-pane windows in the two left (western) bays and in the bay on the right. Between them, in the third bay, are three steps leading up to a rectangular doorway. The lintel over the door is inscribed with the date 1760. The left and right sides are plain with gable
s and in the back wall is a 16-pane sash window
. Attached to the right wall is a lean-to
earth closet
with a stone-slate roof.
The interior is divided into two rooms by a partition containing top-hinged shutters
to the right of the entrance. The larger room on the left has a stone-flagged floor, and contains simple wooden benches. There is a central aisle
with seven rows of open-backed benches facing to the west. Opposite these and facing them are two rows of benches on a dais
; these are sometimes called elders
' benches. The benches form "a rare survival of the historic Quaker layout". The smaller room contains a fireplace and a grate with an iron hob. The meeting house stands in a graveyard that contains "typical Quaker gravestones", many of which commemorate members of the Wigham family.
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...
meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust. It stands in an isolated, unpopulated valley south of Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, about 2 miles (3 km) east of the village of Coanwood
Coanwood
Coanwood is a village in Northumberland, England, and is part of the Parish of Haltwhistle. It is about to the south-west of Haltwhistle, on the South Tyne...
, and about 5 miles (8 km) south of the town of Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England. It has been designated 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...
as a Grade II* listed building.
History
The Wigham family was an important family in Northumberland in the 17th and 18th centuries. In about 1734 Cuthbert Wigham joined the Society of Friends and founded a meeting of the Society in Coanwood. The meeting house was built in 1760 at a cost of £104(£ as of ), on a plot of land given by Cuthbert Wigham. The meeting house is historically important because it has not been modified since then, other than the original heather
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
-thatch
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
roof being replaced by 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...
s during the 19th century. The building has been used in the past by the Coanwood Reading Society, and contained a library with books to loan. Since coming under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust it has been repaired "in a manner that conserves its unique fabric and furnishings".
Architecture
Coanwood Friends Meeting House is a single-storey building built on a plinthPlinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
. Its plan is rectangular, measuring 31.1 metres (102 ft) long by 6.2 metres (20 ft) wide. It is constructed in squared stone in four bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
quoin
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
s and dressings. The roof has eaves of stone flags with slates above, and a stone ridge. There are fixed 12-pane windows in the two left (western) bays and in the bay on the right. Between them, in the third bay, are three steps leading up to a rectangular doorway. The lintel over the door is inscribed with the date 1760. The left and right sides are plain with 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...
s and in the back wall is a 16-pane sash window
Sash 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...
. Attached to the right wall is a lean-to
Lean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
earth closet
Composting toilet
A composting toilet is a dry toilet that using a predominantly aerobic processing system that treats excreta, typically with no water or small volumes of flush water, via composting or managed aerobic decomposition...
with a stone-slate roof.
The interior is divided into two rooms by a partition containing top-hinged shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
to the right of the entrance. The larger room on the left has a stone-flagged floor, and contains simple wooden benches. There is a central aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
with seven rows of open-backed benches facing to the west. Opposite these and facing them are two rows of benches on a dais
Dais
Dais is any raised platform located either in or outside of a room or enclosure, often for dignified occupancy, as at the front of a lecture hall or sanctuary....
; these are sometimes called elders
Elder (Christianity)
An elder in Christianity is a person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is a clergy person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of Word,...
' benches. The benches form "a rare survival of the historic Quaker layout". The smaller room contains a fireplace and a grate with an iron hob. The meeting house stands in a graveyard that contains "typical Quaker gravestones", many of which commemorate members of the Wigham family.