A Brief History of the Meeting House
Early Quakers often met for silent worship outdoors or used member's houses, barns, and other secular premises. The Quaker Act of 1662 forbade their meetings, though they continued in defiance, and a small number of meeting houses date from this period. Broad Campden, Gloucestershire came into Quaker use in 1663 and is the first meeting house in Britain, whilst Hertford, 1670, is the oldest to be purpose built. Following the Act of Toleration in 1689, more Quaker Meeting houses started to appear.
Built in 1672, Alton Meeting House is the second oldest purpose-built Quaker Meeting House still in use and represents Hampshire Quakers' desire to build a meeting house in the face of persecution. At that time, Alton was an important centre for the development of Quakerism in the South of England. The Meeting House was built on land belonging to local Quakers Roger and Ann Gates and included the burial ground. It was paid for by sixty-seven local Quakers at a cost of £204. A cottage was part of the original building, and its first occupant, Thomas Bullock, 'weeded and kept the burial place in order'.
We offer informal talks to local schools and community groups about Quaker history and faith. Please contact us if you would like to book a speaker. You may also wish to arrange for your group to visit our historic Meeting House.
"Built in 1672, Alton Meeting House is the second oldest purpose-built Quaker meeting house still in use."
Despite many changes, the building retains much of its mid-17th century character. At one end of the main meeting room there are removable panelled screens, which are opened up when we hold larger meetings and events. At the other end of the room is a bench that in the past was used by ministers and elders, raised on a dais with the screen in front of it.
The sash windows were installed in 1730 and the floor re-laid. In the lobby, a 19th century safe is set into the wall and a modern staircase leads to the gallery which is now used as offices with the gallery screen permanently closed.
The gallery, which was originally used for the women's business meetings, dates from 1690 and was constructed following the 1689 Act of Toleration. Built of oak it is partially panelled with 19th century tongue and groove boarding.
The 17th century roof structure remains above the meeting house and the boundary wall fronting the road has the unusual feature of the date, 1672, inset in black bricks into it.
For a period in the 1930’s and 1940’s there were no weekly Meetings for Worship and inevitably the Meeting House became in a poor state of repair. Consequently, the building was substantially refurbished in the 1960s. The two chimney stacks were removed and internal stairs to the gallery were installed, replacing an open stair which was outside the main entrance. The two cottages were remodelled, with the main ground-floor room of the original cottage incorporated into the meeting house through doorways created either side of the Elder's bench. In 2002-5 the porch and entrance were remodelled, and the open area enclosed to provide a new lobby and library.
The Meeting House has recently been awarded Grade 2* listed status.
On 26th July 2024 the Meeting had a ceremony with the town mayor to celebrate being awarded a blue plaque for being the second oldest purpose built Quaker Meeting House in the world that is still in use.
But let us not forget that this beautiful historic building is still just bricks and mortar. What remains vital is the centuries-long tradition of Alton Quakers still very much alive and active within these walls.
"It is remarkable that I come to meeting in the same place as my ancestors and that I can visit the grave of my 3x great-grandfather in the Quaker Burial Ground."
"I have a strong sense of connection with the past in Alton. But it is the present, not the past, that brings me to Quakerism."
"I come to connect with an inner light and to consider how I should respond to an increasingly chaotic world." Andrew, 2023
2022 was the 350th anniversary of the building of the Meeting House, and as part of the celebrations an exhibition was staged to display something of the story of the Meeting House through those 350 years. This booklet is a record of that exhibition with copies of the photographs that formed the display.