Malvern Quaker Meeting House

A Quaker meeting house of 1938 built to the designs of J R Armstrong by W James of Malvern, with extensions and alterations of 1952 and 1992.

MATERIALS: of cavity wall construction with buff bricks laid in stretcher bond. There are ashlar dressings to the main entrance and tile crease detailing to the gable kneelers and ventilation openings. The roofs are covered in Roman clay tiles and the rainwater goods are mainly cast iron. The 1930s and 1950s casements are of tropical hardwood (iroko) and there are pine and oak fittings to the main hall.

PLAN: L-plan as built and on a north-south orientation (extended to an irregular T-plan with the later north and west additions) the building is of single-storey and its entrance faces east. The four-bay main hall is to the south with ancillary rooms to the north.

EXTERIOR: built in a sparing vernacular style with deep roofs, wide gables and modest detailing. To the front elevation is a porch with hipped roof, deep eaves and double-panelled doors with bronze handle in a moulded stone architrave. There is FRIENDS HOUSE in bronze lettering to the lintel. There are five concrete steps to the door with brick planters to each side, and tile crease detailing to the corners. To the left of the porch the main hall has two tripartite timber casements with timber cills. To the right of the porch is the 1992 extension built in buff brick and with brick cills to the openings. There is an arched window flanked by smaller casements to the south gable. The rear of the main hall has three tripartite casements and part-glazed doors to the north end. Extending to the west is the addition of 1952 with hardwood doors and casements.

INTERIOR: an entrance lobby at the east of the building has modern internal partition doors. The lobby gives access to the meeting room and the ancillary rooms via a corridor. Some rooms to the original part of the building have part-glazed doors with bronze furniture. The timber double-leaf doors to the main hall have pairs of bronze handles.

The meeting room is a large rectangular space which has been little altered since 1938, although the roof space has been ceiled over above purlin level. There are three substantial king-post pine trusses supported on stone corbels, and with straps and bolts. The plain plastered walls have timber wainscoting and there is a pine stage at the south end. The floor is laid with pine boards. The casements have bronze fitments.