Diss Quaker Meeting House

Diss Quaker Meeting House

This Quaker Meeting House was built in 1744 and stands on Frenze Road to the north of the Quaker burial ground. An extension was added in the 1890s that incorporates a former 17th-century stables building. The interiors were substantially altered in the later 20th century.

The meeting house and schoolroom are constructed in red brick with some burnt headers laid to Flemish bond, with glazed pantile roof coverings. The former stables are timber-framed and rendered, with a thatched roof.

The building forms an L-shaped plan. The meeting house proper is rectangular, oriented east-west. A wing to the east comprises the schoolroom, which is rectangular and oriented south-north, with the earlier former stables adjoining off-centre to the north wall of the schoolroom and oriented slightly to the west. Both the meeting house and schoolroom are single-storey with hipped roofs, while the former stables is single-storey with a loft and a thatched gable roof.

A low brick plinth and a cornice of saw-tooth and dentil brick courses run around the meeting house and continue to the schoolroom. The principal south front, facing into the burial ground, consists of five bays. The first three bays form the meeting house: a twelve-over-twelve sash window, the meeting house south entrance with a projecting timber pediment with lead covering over an eight-panelled double-leaf door, and another twelve-over-twelve sash window. The last two bays form the south wall of the schoolroom: an entrance with a shallow flat timber hood with lead covering supported by four consoles over a six-panelled double-leaf door, and an eight-over-twelve sash window. All window openings have segmental arches (the first in gauged brick) and flush window frames.

The west elevation of the meeting house features the main entrance with a projecting timber pediment with lead covering over a six-panelled double-leaf door. The north elevation includes two four-light cross windows with leaded casements under segmental arches at ground floor, and above are two two-light casement windows with leaded panes: one lights the extant meeting house gallery, the other lit the former eastern meeting house gallery. These upper windows extend to the brick course just below the cornice. The schoolroom west elevation has two eight-over-twelve sash windows flanking an entrance matching that in its south wall. The former stables, timber-framed and rendered with irregular fenestration, has a large double-leaf plank door to its west elevation with a small window to the right and two windows to the left. Its north gable end includes two small two-light windows at ground floor level.

The meeting house interior is divided into three principal spaces: a small lobby, a gallery above, and the main meeting room. The main entrance leads into the small lobby beneath the western gallery. A timber partition with glazed upper panels divides the lobby from the meeting room, with a door providing access between them. Against the south wall, immediately to the right of the partition door, a closed string staircase with a turned newel, balusters, and moulded handrail leads up to the gallery. The gallery extends the full width of the west wall and is supported in front of the partition below by a Doric column. It has a raked floor and three tiered benches. The meeting room has a panelled dado to the south and east walls, with vertical boarding to the north wall. A door in the south-east corner leads into the schoolroom. The schoolroom and former stables provide additional meeting space, and kitchen and toilet facilities (these spaces were not inspected in detail).