Littlehampton Friends Meeting House
Encyclopedia
Littlehampton Friends Meeting House is a Religious Society of Friends
(Quaker) place of worship in the town of Littlehampton
, part of the Arun
district of West Sussex
, England. A Quaker community has worshipped in the seaside town since the 1960s, when they acquired a former Penny School building constructed in the early 19th century. The L-shaped, flint-faced structure, consisting of schoolrooms and a schoolmaster's house, has been converted into a place of worship at which weekly meetings take place. English Heritage
has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
meets the English Channel
, developed as a small port and seaside resort in the 19th century. By 1861, it population was 2,436, and "pleasant lodgings" were available fronting the beach, which was connected to the opposite bank of the river by ferries. St Mary's Church, the Anglican
parish church
, was rebuilt in 1826.
Education in the growing town was initially provided by private individuals. In 1835, a Mrs Welch founded a "Penny School"—apparently a type of Dame school
—on the north side of Church Street. The L-shaped building had a single schoolroom and an attached schoolmaster's house at the east end. About 65 pupils were typically on the roll. The school, which was run by Dissenter
s rather than the Established Church
, was completed and opened in 1836.
After the school fell out of use, it passed into religious use for the first time when Plymouth Brethren
acquired it. Meanwhile, Quakers started meeting in Littlehampton in 1952. They sought a permanent meeting house, and bought the former school in 1965 (by which stage Brethren were meeting at Argyll Hall elsewhere in the town). Membership of the Littlehampton Friends Meeting was recorded as 20 people in 1985, and it is now described as a "large" meeting by the Religious Society of Friends themselves. Weekly meetings take place on Sunday mornings.
Littlehampton Friends Meeting House was listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 21 August 1975. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 913 Grade II listed buildings, and 960 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Arun.
. The main wing, of three bays
, has two pointed-arched windows with inset pairs of lancet
and a similar arched entrance on the left side in a projecting bay. The east wing has a full-height canted
bay window
facing south, set below a stucco
ed gable with the painted legend . This two-storey section was originally the schoolmaster's accommodation.
The English Heritage listing recognises the meeting house's group value with the adjacent buildings at 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 Church Street. This is defined as "the extent to which the exterior contributes to the architectural or historic interest of any group of buildings of which [a listed building] forms part". Numbers 11, 13 and 15 are a terrace of cottages, two of which were built in the 18th century but were given new façades in the 1830s when the other was built. Numbers 7 and 9, now two cottages but originally a single farmhouse, date from 1700 and have a flint and red-brick façade.
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quaker) place of worship in the town of Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
, part of the Arun
Arun
Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...
district of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England. A Quaker community has worshipped in the seaside town since the 1960s, when they acquired a former Penny School building constructed in the early 19th century. The L-shaped, flint-faced structure, consisting of schoolrooms and a schoolmaster's house, has been converted into a place of worship at which weekly meetings take place. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
The town of Littlehampton, at the estuary where the River ArunRiver Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
meets the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, developed as a small port and seaside resort in the 19th century. By 1861, it population was 2,436, and "pleasant lodgings" were available fronting the beach, which was connected to the opposite bank of the river by ferries. St Mary's Church, the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, was rebuilt in 1826.
Education in the growing town was initially provided by private individuals. In 1835, a Mrs Welch founded a "Penny School"—apparently a type of Dame school
Dame school
A Dame School was an early form of a private elementary school in English-speaking countries. They were usually taught by women and were often located in the home of the teacher.- Britain :...
—on the north side of Church Street. The L-shaped building had a single schoolroom and an attached schoolmaster's house at the east end. About 65 pupils were typically on the roll. The school, which was run by Dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
s rather than the Established Church
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, was completed and opened in 1836.
After the school fell out of use, it passed into religious use for the first time when Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
acquired it. Meanwhile, Quakers started meeting in Littlehampton in 1952. They sought a permanent meeting house, and bought the former school in 1965 (by which stage Brethren were meeting at Argyll Hall elsewhere in the town). Membership of the Littlehampton Friends Meeting was recorded as 20 people in 1985, and it is now described as a "large" meeting by the Religious Society of Friends themselves. Weekly meetings take place on Sunday mornings.
Littlehampton Friends Meeting House was listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 21 August 1975. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 913 Grade II listed buildings, and 960 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Arun.
Architecture
The former school is L-shaped, with a long south wing and a projecting east wing. The façade has flint cobbles with red-brick dressings and grey-brick quoinsQuoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
. The main wing, of three bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, has two pointed-arched windows with inset pairs of lancet
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
and a similar arched entrance on the left side in a projecting bay. The east wing has a full-height canted
Cant (architecture)
Cant is the architectural term describing part, or segment, of a facade which is at an angle to another part of the same facade. The angle breaking the facade is less than a right angle thus enabling a canted facade to be viewed as, and remain, one composition.Canted facades are a typical of, but...
bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
facing south, set below a stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed gable with the painted legend . This two-storey section was originally the schoolmaster's accommodation.
The English Heritage listing recognises the meeting house's group value with the adjacent buildings at 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 Church Street. This is defined as "the extent to which the exterior contributes to the architectural or historic interest of any group of buildings of which [a listed building] forms part". Numbers 11, 13 and 15 are a terrace of cottages, two of which were built in the 18th century but were given new façades in the 1830s when the other was built. Numbers 7 and 9, now two cottages but originally a single farmhouse, date from 1700 and have a flint and red-brick façade.