Work safeguards future of Quaker house

1:20pm Sunday 12th October 2008

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Quakers in Airton are celebrating a confident future for their historic meeting house.

Just 18 months ago the group was appealing for funding to renovate its historic building, which had remained virtually unchanged since it was built in the 17th century.

Repairs were estimated to cost around £330,000, which would incorporate new lighting, a heating system and repairs to the roof which had leaked over time causing a lot of damp.

The area around the building was also uneven and the estimates covered re-flagging, replastering the internal walls, structural support for the balcony, renovating the windows, uncovering an old fireplace and stripping grey paint from the pews.

“There is still a bit of titivation to do but the majority of the work in the main building has been completed and we are thrilled,” said Laurel Phillipson, convenor of the Airton Property Management Committee.

The adjacent barn still needs to be renovated and a disabled toilet installed and this will be the next major project. It will, hopefully, be completed by 2010 or 2011.

The meeting house project attracted support from individuals as well as the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and Yorventure and is becoming very much a community facility.

“It is now being used by members of the community, including Airton Parish Meeting and a yoga class came here for a weekend,” said the group’s treasurer Kevin Berry.

The meeting house also recently welcomed a group of Asian Christians from Bradford, who had been walking in the district, and on another occasion a drumming workshop was held.

A celebratory opening service was held on Sunday attended by more than 100 people and a concert to celebrate the restoration is to be held at the meeting house on Saturday, November 22, at 3pm.

The concert will feature Mrs Phillipson’s daughter, Tacye, playing harp and Judith Sumnall on the flute.

In addition, the concert will premiere a new work by Canadian composer Emily Doolittle, which has been specially commissioned for the occasion and draws on the sounds and tranquility of the Malhamdale area.

“We hope community use will increase because we really want to see the building used in this way. It has been here for 300 years and the work we have had done will last another 300 years,” said Mrs Phillipson.

The work was carried out by Cracoe builder Colin Atkins, while the architectural plans were put together by James Innerdale, of Paul Crosby Architects, Kendal.