Great Ayton Quaker Meeting House

Quaker Meeting House, built by 1722. Extended in 1967 to the design of Charles Spence, with later alterations and re-modelled in 2001 to the design of Edwin Trotter.

MATERIALS: coursed dressed sandstone, red brick and weatherboarding, with graduated Lakeland slate roof coverings.

PLAN: a rectangular on plan, single-storey meeting house with a hipped roof, ridge chimney stack to the west and two ventilator hoods.

EXTERIOR: the meeting house is situated next to the Quaker burial ground at the south-east corner of High Green. It is oriented west-east. The main (north) front comprises the short length of the north elevation fronting High Green, having the appearance of a coach-house to the former Richardson mansion. It includes, from right to left, an elliptical stone arch that forms the main entrance, approached up two stone steps, and two eight-over-eight sash windows in plain window openings with flat arches and projecting sills (the window opening to the left dates to 1967). The wall has a low plinth and is painted. There is a small eight-light window over the arch, lighting the former passageway. The central part of the north elevation is obscured by the abutting Ivy Cottage (Grade II), whilst the eastern part of the north elevation, faced in red brick and including a modern sash window, largely dates to 1967.

The rear (south) elevation is an irregular composition. From left to right it includes another small eight-light window under the eaves, with two more windows below, lighting the passageway. Then there is a shallow projecting glazed extension with a shed roof, including French doors that open to the burial ground, followed by the four-bay elevation of the meeting house comprising pairs of large modern sash windows. The east elevation, facing into the burial ground, is a weatherboarded extension with a large full-height six-light window and glazed doors in the north and south returns.

The meeting house has a Lakeland slate covered hipped roof. There are two ventilator hoods in the ridge and a stone ridge chimney stack to the west.

INTERIOR: the meeting house interior was completely re-worked in 1967, with further alterations in 2001. The glazed timber double-leaf entrance door in the front archway leads into a lobby area in the older west side of the building, with toilets, a kitchen, and a children's room to the ground floor, and an inserted first floor room above. The original ceiling and ventilator recess are visible. The main meeting room to the east is now (2020) formed of the extension added in 1967. The interior partitions are mainly glazed, apart from the kitchen.