Aylesbury Quaker Meeting House

Quaker meeting house, built in 1726-27. An extension to the south-east was added, probably in the early-C19. Refurbished in 1933 and 2010.

MATERIALS: red brick, with some black glazed headers, laid in header bond. The hipped clay tile roof has a modern skylight in the extended south-eastern slope.

PLAN: the rectangular meeting room, orientated north-west to south-east, is adjoined at the south-east end by an extension with a cat-slide roof. The extension projects at right angles in the south-east corner and provides an additional entrance.

EXTERIOR: the principal (south-west) elevation has a moulded brick cornice under the slightly overhanging eaves. There is a central entrance with a pair of two-panel doors, the longer upper panels of which are glazed with leaded lights and with a two-light leaded fanlight above. The roof slope continues down to form a hood over the doorway. These features probably date from 1933, when it is likely that an early porch was removed, although the door frame may be original. A small-paned paired timber casement window to the right (south-east) of the entrance is within the original window opening, while that to the left (north-west) has been widened by an additional casement; both have timber lintels. The entrance in the later lower addition to the south-east has a bracketed canopy over the door which has multi-pane leaded glazing.

The rear (north-west) elevation is blind with a pair of shallow brick relieving arches just above ground level. The south-east extension has a stone rubble plinth.

INTERIOR: the interior consists of a large meeting room and a smaller space at the south-eastern end, now incorporating the later entrance lobby and with a kitchen at the north-east end (all fittings are modern). This latter space was possibly originally a separate women’s meeting room. Stell suggests that the exposed timber-framed wall that separates the two spaces was originally external and possibly weatherboarded, but Newell argues persuasively that it was always internal, possibly fitted with shutters (recorded as added in 1810, although there is now no physical evidence of the shutters). A small brass plaque fixed to the lower rail at this end is inscribed ‘REMEMBERING/ WALTER ROSE/ WHO RESTORED THIS/ MEETING HOUSE’.

The main space has plastered walls and a perimeter dado with a mixture of square panelling and tongue and groove boarding. Perimeter benches are fixed to this, with some shaped ends, based on the pattern of those at the meeting house at Jordans, Bucks (Grade I). The raised height of the dado at the northern end suggests the former position of the elders’ stand. The ceiling is now at collar level, leaving exposed three roof trusses, with tie beams (the central one with modern reinforcements), struts rising to clasped purlins, and dragon beams at the corners.