Hoddesdon Quaker Meeting House

Quaker Meeting House. Built in 1828 to the design of William Alderson, with later alterations.

MATERIALS: yellow bricks laid to Flemish bond with moulded stone dressings, and slate roof coverings to the pitched roof.

PLAN: the meeting house is rectangular on plan with a pitched roof, with single-storey flat-roofed wings flanking the entrance to main (north) front. The east wing is one bay deep, whilst the west wing is two bays deep including the link built in 1978.

EXTERIOR: the meeting house stands in the Quaker burial ground on Lord Street, oriented north-south. The main (north) front comprises three bays under a brick and moulded stone pediment. The main entrance is to the centre bay, approached up a short flight of two stone steps with ornamental iron boot scrapers and simple iron handrails. The double-leaf entrance door is set in an architrave with an ornamental transom light, under a shallow stone hood carried on two consoles decorated with foliage carving. The entrance is flanked by a six-over-six sash window to each bay; the square-headed window openings have similarly moulded architraves as the door opening. There is a small date stone above the door. The east and west elevations each include a pair of six-over-six sash windows in their upper level, lighting the main meeting room, whilst the south elevation is blind. The pitched roof is covered with slates. The two small flat-roofed side wings flanking the north elevation include recessed blind panels with flat arches to their north fronts.

INTERIOR: the meeting house is divided into four principal spaces. To the north, a small lobby is entered from the main entrance. There are two small retiring rooms to either side of the lobby, leading into the two side wings: that to the east has been converted into a toilet, whilst that to the west leads into the link built in 1978. A double-leaf door opens from the lobby into the main meeting room. The main meeting room has a panelled timber dado, plastered walls, and a flat ceiling with plain moulded cornice. The panelling to the north wall, which reaches the height of the door opening, includes shutters between the main meeting room and the retiring rooms. The Elders’ stand on a dais occupies the full length of the south wall. It is entered up short flights of steps to the west and east ends, and incorporates two ranks of fixed benches with panelled backs and carved arm rests.