Long Sutton is fortunate to have one of the oldest purpose-built Quaker Meeting Houses in the United Kingdom. In its early days the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) did not believe that any space was more Holy than anywhere else, and so used to hold Meetings for Worship in private homes, in the fields or in orchards. It is believed that some of the earliest Quaker Meetings in the Long Sutton area were held in an orchard in Knole.
Gradually, however Meetings moved into buildings - private homes or barns for example - but inevitably some Quaker Meetings started to build their own places for Meetings – hence the name, ‘Meeting Houses’.
The Long Sutton Meeting House owes its existence to William Steele, a London Quaker merchant who bought an estate in Long Sutton in 1703. He disinherited his daughter for marrying a non-Quaker, but the local Quakers benefitted from this when William Steele decided that his wealth should go to Somerset Quakers. Most of his assets went into a charitable fund which has helped many Quakers and others in Somerset over the centuries, right up into the Twentieth Century, when the fund was finally wound up.
But a plot of land on the corner of what is now the A372 and Shute Lane was also left to Long Sutton Quakers on a one thousand year lease – together with £200 to build a Meeting House. One condition was that Friends should arrange for the haulage of the stone for the building – which they did. In 1717 the Meeting House was complete, and Friends’ gratitude can still be seen in the stone plaque on the front of the Meeting House, which records William Steele’s gift, and which can be seen clearly, even from the main road.
It is recorded that William asked that he should be buried at the Meeting House, and Quakers arranged for his body to be brought to Long Sutton. Tradition has it that he is buried below the step of the south door – the first to be buried in the new burial ground.
There are now many grave markers in the burial ground, each only bearing a name and date of death, and sometimes of birth too. The simplicity of the inscriptions reflects the Quaker belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God, so earthly achievements are not relevant in death.
Two other features noted by all before entering the Meeting House itself are the style of the building, and the wooden shutters that are still in place beside every window. The tall sash windows (some of the earliest of their kind) give the building a rather Georgian look, but is more accurately described as Queen Anne style. The storm porches were probably added later, but otherwise the building’s exterior remains as it was when completed in 1717. The window shutters have not been used for years, but have been left in the places they were put when the building was first constructed.
Inside the building there is also much that is original. The wooden partitions and panelling, together with many of the fixtures, such as door latches, date from 1717. A close inspection of the partitions reveals a clever device that allows the top half of the inner walls to be lowered to extend the area available for those participating in Quaker Meetings. These sliding panels are still opened for large events, such as weddings and funerals, which are usually very crowded.
The benches, designed and made locally are simple and plain, apart from the shaped bench ends. Historic England describes our main room as ‘severely plain’, but Nikolaus Pevsner, in his 1958 books, “The Buildings of England”, recognised that it has an atmosphere of peace and neatness.
Some visitors are surprised, maybe even disappointed, that there are no statues, crucifixes, or memorial plaques. Neither are there hymn books, prayer books – or pulpits. These omissions are quite deliberate. Quakers believe that each of us, given the opportunity of the stillness of a Quaker gathering, to hear the still, quiet, voice of God within each of us. In this belief there is no need for intermediaries such as priests. And no need of words set by others to music or prayer. We each can find the right internal words to communicate if we seek them – and anyone in the Meeting can share their words if they so wish.
However, all visitors’ eyes are drawn to the handcrafted ‘lantern’ that is suspended from the high ceiling in the middle of the Meeting House. This is unique to Long Sutton Quakers, and unusual for any Meeting House as it is a work of art. It was made and given to the Meeting by a Kenneth Clackson, then a member of the Meeting. Its symbolism can be read in two, or more, ways. Firstly, the Light shines out on us all, and secondly the vertical bars around the light are like Quakers clustered around it in Meeting.
There is also currently (since 2017), a hand-made banner, a part of Friends’ efforts to mark the Meeting House’s 300th anniversary, now displayed in one corner of the Meeting House for the time being. This banner has no spiritual significance.
Visitors will also notice a smaller building set back behind the main historic Meeting House, which reflects the architectural style of the older building. This is known as ‘the Children’s Room’ and was the gift of the late Frank Westlake (also a member of the Meeting), built in 1985. It was designed to provide three much-needed facilities: a space for the Children’s Meeting, a space for social events and committee meetings, and WC facilities. Although the Meeting no longer has a regular Children’s Meeting, the other facilities are still greatly appreciated.
Maintenance of the Meeting House and Children’s Room is supervised and directed by a Premises Committee, composed of Members of the local Quaker community. A recent innovation, for example, has been to fit secondary glazing to reduce traffic noise and help conserve warmth inside the Meeting House in winter, thus reducing heating costs and enhancing sustainability. The Committee arranges occasional ‘work parties’ for members to contribute directly to maintenance, but also commissions specialist builders and surveyors as required to undertake skilled work necessary to ensure the Meeting House remains fit for purpose for many years to come.
The Historic England website entry for the Meeting House has much interesting and useful historic and technical information: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1346103?section=official-list-entry.