QUAKER MEETING HOUSES IN BRISTOLExhibition: Tuesday 28 September – Saturday 30
October 2004 marks 350 years of Quakers in Bristol. This exhibition is part of a programme celebrating this rich history of Quakers in the city, and features photographs of the local Quaker Meeting Houses, taken by Bristol architect and Quaker, James Bruges. As Quakers refused to swear oaths of allegiance to the Crown or pay Church tithes, they were persecuted – barred from universities, and hence from the professions. Instead, they went into trade, banking and industry, and came to play a major role in the industrial revolution, and in Bristol. Quakers founded many well-known companies, including the chocolate-makers Frys, Rowntrees, and Cadburys. They campaigned against slavery and war, and for prison reform and social justice. Quaker meetings are mainly held in silence, although anyone may feel inspired to speak. There is no doctrine and no priest, therefore the design of the Meeting Houses is quite different to other places of worship. David Butler, author of ‘Quaker Meeting Houses in Britain’,
will be giving a talk on the architecture of Quaker Meeting Houses
on Tuesday 26 October. |