Heritage Open Day: Peaceful light-filled space; exhibition telling the story of Quakers from first beginnings to the current day; plus a warm welcome with tea and cake. Built in 1852, Bakewell Friends Meeting House was a typical Victorian Meeting House, with tall windows, and a balcony above shutters that divided the main room. At one end were benches for Elders - those responsible for the proper conduct of the Meeting's affairs.
But Quakers did not use the building for very long. Later occupants included the Salvation Army and then after the Second World War a school. In the late 1960s Friends returned to the Meeting House and began a programme of renovation, culminating in 2007 in a major refurbishment. The beautiful tall windows and the Elders' benches remain, but the Meeting House is now a spacious, bright and modern building which Bakewell Quakers share with local community groups.
Come and explore the Meeting House, a special exhibition, and refreshments!