Airton Meeting House Update
Airton Quaker Meeting House: an oasis of peace and tranquillity for all
Services every Sunday at 2 pm… and simple overnight accommodation in the Dales
There it is. Easy to miss. Almost hidden in plain sight: the ancient Quaker Meeting House next to the Green in Airton in the Yorkshire Dales. In the course of its long history spanning around 400 years it has seen many ups and downs. Even since the Second World War its fortunes have waned and waxed.
For about two years during the Second World War, the Meeting House provided accommodation for two evacuee families from Liverpool. After the war, Quaker numbers and attendances at meetings for worship declined and the building survived more by neglect than by good care. At some stage, all the historic woodwork inside, including the ancient rustic oak screen, was painted in battleship grey.
Although the Barn continued to be used as a much-loved hostel by young Quakers and other youth groups, regular worship was discontinued and the Meeting House began to deteriorate fast, even though well-attended meetings for worship continued to be held two or three times a year. By 2000, the Meeting House was partly unroofed, its gallery dangerously unsupported, and there was much damp penetration through its cracked walls.
At that time, a few Quakers in the area who recognised the quiet simple beauty of the Meeting House decided to reinstate regular worship at Airton and, over the next twenty years, raised sufficient funds to repair and restore the property. After several strenuous fundraising campaigns, the Meeting House was re-roofed in 2005 with further restoration and repair work in 2008 and over the last two years. Over the same period all the other buildings within the curtilage including the cottage and the impressive wall along the road were restored. Once the whole complex had been largely returned to its eighteenth-century configuration and careful research had shown the unique historic significance of the buildings, Historic England awarded the Meeting House an upgraded II* listing.
Over the last twenty years or so, regular worship continued in the Meeting House every second and fourth Sunday at 3 pm. In addition, an increasing number of events took place here, ranging from drama and talks to much loved recitals. And then came Covid, making progress very difficult. When the wider community emerged from it all, things were different and more uneasy.
However, by the middle of 2022 all the work on the Meeting House had been completed. The old rustic oak screen had lost its nasty battleship-grey coat of paint and was now fully restored looking as good as it must have done over 300 years ago. New and more comfortable seating was installed and the life of this important Quaker Meeting took on a new upswing.
The uncertainties of Covid had shown many of us the importance of community, but also of having a place of safety, refuge, tranquillity and togetherness. Meetings for worship take place every Sunday at 3 pm, always followed at 4 pm by a convivial gathering in the Barn for tea/coffee and usually cake.
The Barn is also open again for simple overnight accommodation where our Friend in Resident will welcome guests and visitors from all over. The Barn upstairs is mainly geared towards families and groups whereas the separate accommodation downstairs is ideal for one or two people. Our website (https://airtonbarn.org.uk/) will be updated soon with more photos but do have a look, it already gives you a good idea what it will be like to stay with us.
Airton Friends' Meeting House and Barn 