OLD WEBSITE - THE OFFICIAL PAGE IS NOW (May 2016) http://www.bunhillquakers.org/


This was the official page until January 2016 when the official page moved to Britain Yearly Meeting.

BUNHILL FIELDS QUAKER MEETING
Archived web page maintained by the bunhill and beyond blog

The Meeting House
and its Garden

Bunhill Fields Meeting House
Quaker Court, Banner Street,
London EC1Y 8QQ.

Meetings for Worship: Every Sunday 11 am and 4 pm - Mid-week Third Wednesday of the month 12.45-1.15 pm - Everyone welcome

Map
Olive
The
Meeting

What do
Quakers do?

History

History walk

Garden

Premises
Users

Community

Ahmadiyya Muslims

Sufi School

Meditation and Buddhism

At Ease advice centre
Al Anon
[NEW]
Other
Meetings

Other friends

Finding
out more
about Quakers

If you are walking from Old Street station, walk along Old Street westwards to Bunhill Row, turn left into Bunhill Row, turn right into Banner Street, and walk along to the archway (on your left) that goes through the flats to the Meeting House. The arrows in the map show one way traffic flows and will not stop you walking.


Nearest Underground: Old Street (Northern Line)
Nearest Mainline station: Liverpool Street
Buses:
Old Street: 55, 135, 243
City Road: 21, 43, 76, 141, 205, 214, 271





THE MEETING HOUSE

Bunhill Fields Quakers meet in a modestly sized, simply furnished room in what remained of the much larger Quaker establishment after its bombing in World War Two.

There are usually between 8 and 12 of us at weekly meetings for worship, but the Meeting Room can accommodate up to 30 people.

Meeting House garden
photoThere is a pleasant garden attached to the Meeting House which we use after meeting for worship when the weather is good.

The Meeting House was built next to the historic Quaker burial ground where George Fox, one of the best known founders of Quakerism, is buried. For this reason the site is often visited by people interested in Quakerism from all over the world.

The burial ground was recently redeveloped into a public garden, children's playground and ball court.

The area surrounding the Meeting House used to be one of the poorest in London and, in spite of recent gentrification, the population remains very mixed.

Though we are in the London Borough of Islington, we also lie very close to the Boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and The City of London.





WHAT DO QUAKERS DO IN A MEETING?

A Quaker meeting is based in silence, but it is a silence of waiting in expectancy. For many minutes, perhaps for the whole of the meeting, there may be silence. But that does not mean that nothing is happening. All of us are trying to come to each other and to the Spirit, as we are caught up in the still spirit of the meeting.

Go in as soon as you are ready. It is a good thing if a meeting can settle down a few minutes before the appointed time. Sit anywhere you like.

You may find it easy to relax in the silence and enter into the life of the meeting. Or you may be disturbed by the strangeness of the silence, by distractions outside or by your own roving thoughts. Do not worry about this. Try if you can, if only for an instant, to be quiet in body, mind and spirit.

The silence may be broken if someone present feels called on to say something that will deepen and enrich the worship, in response to the prompting of the Spirit. The silence is broken for the moment, but is not interrupted.

The meeting will close after the Elders have shaken hands.

Afterwards feel free to speak to anyone. If you wish to know more about Quakers, please introduce yourself to any member.


27.11.2011: Cool-Dude visits Bunhill Meeting
16.9.2012: Party Girl visits Wanstead Meeting

BUNHILL QUAKER BURIAL GROUND HISTORY

This photograph of the 1881 memorial stone to George Fox was taken on Sunday 28.4.2013 by Heather Martin on her first visit to Bunhill. You can find the stone in the garden close to the back door of the meeting house. Click on the picture to read the history of the burial ground.

1640s
1650s
1665
1691
1750s
1881

BUNHILL QUAKER MEETING HOUSE HISTORY

In 1881 a Bunhill Memorial Building was built on the old London Quaker Burial Ground. This Building was home to Sunday schools, a coffee tavern, medical mission, and adult schools. The main building was destroyed during air raids in the Second World War and at the end of the war all that remained was the caretaker's cottage, which is now the Meeting House. A drawing of the old building is depicted on the Meeting's coffee mugs.

Short
history
Longer
history
Olive's
memories
Stoke
Newington
Tottenham
Winchmore
Hill

Quakers and
Methodists
Bedford
Institute
Quakers around Shoreditch

QUAKER GARDENS

Gardening

Part of the old Burial Ground is now known as Quaker Gardens, a quiet green space and children's playground, managed since 1952 on behalf of Friends by the London Borough of Islington for public use and enjoyment. The land was bought by Quakers in 1661, and by 1855 some 12,000 Quakers from all over London had been buried here. A stone, placed in the gardens in 1952, reminds us of this and that George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends, is among that number.

In 2005 the gardens were substantially renovated with help from the local community, Islington Greenspace, charities, Quaker Meetings and trusts, and Quakers. New play equipment and a ball court were installed.

the lovely old plane tree The gardens suggest a woodland edge which frames the lovely old plane trees.

Wild flowers and plants provide an ecologically friendly habitat for birds, bees, insects, and butterflies. Children are regularly invited to join in mini-beastie hunts, and enjoy being able to identify flowers and insects.

An interesting blog by David Jennings charts the redevelopment of the Quaker burial ground . On 9.10.2008, David's blog was itself blogged by Lindsey in Londonist

The Meeting House
From the Public Garden

BUNHILL COMMUNITY

Bunhill is much more than a Quaker Meeting House.

The Meeting House

Until recently the Meeting House was also the headquarters for Quaker Social Action, a charity initiating and developing projects in east London and SolarAid, a company bringing sun-powered energy to Africa.

Today the building is used throughout the week for teaching, for worship and for social action by a mixed community of voluntary and spiritual organisations and groups.

Amongst those who are part of the Bunhill Community are

Christ centred evening meetings for worship at 4pm on Sundays. These are untimed and end when the spirit moves.

The School of Sufi Teaching The School occupies all of the top floor which has been designed as a centre for worship. The room is used for prayers and so anyone who enters is asked to remove shoes.

Meditation classes. The weekly drop-in classes include meditation and teachings from Kadampa Buddhism. They open to everyone - Buddhists and non-Buddhists - and run on Monday evenings from 7pm to 8.30pm in the main meeting room. There is a small charge to cover administrative costs, but you do not need to book in advance. See the Meditate in London website for details.

Mind Space meditation classes were first held at Bunhill in September and October 2013. See Mind Space website. "The Meditations taught at Mind Space originate from the Buddhist tradition which has a 2500 year history of practice. However, they are accessible to everyone regardless of their view as a tool to increase Mindfulness, peace, focus and concentration." (Adam Dacey). Adam is considering further classes.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community hold regular prayer meetings from 1.0 to 2pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. Usually in the main meeting room. Chris Edwards of the community helps Bunhill Quakers coordinate the use of the building during the week.

Al-Anon For families and friends of alcoholics. 12.30 on Mondays. All those affected by someone else's drinking are welcome. Meetings last one hour and are not held on Bank Holidays. Held in the basement room. Turn right at the front door and go downstairs.

BUNHILL PREMISES

The Meeting House

The skyline room: Lovely views of Quaker Gardens. This is the Sufi centre.

The Quaker worship room (Main Room) and kitchen. Front and back entrance to the building - steps.

The Basement Centre: A secluded meeting room with a large window squirrels look in through. The small office of At Ease, and the communal toilets and showers,

Other groups and organisations that have visited or used Bunhill include 28 too many (FGM let's end it) - Allan Grainger and City Photo Workshops - Alexander technique with Penny O'Connor - Antony Johnston Counselling and Psychotherapy - the Alternatives to Violence Project - Association of Denominational Historical Societies and Cognate Libraries - Braithwaite House Tenant Management Organisation - British Youth Council - Catch22 - The Children's Society - Desi Christou and associates - Community Organisers Ltd (CoCo) - Discovering Unity Classes run by the Beshara School - Etude sustainability engineers - The Food Chain - Four Communications - Friends of the Earth - Friends School Tokyo - Historic Chapels Trust - Inner City Centre (ICC) - Islington Clean Air Champions - Jubilee Debt Campaign - Kazuri Properties - Jungto Society - Keep Britain Tidy - Model Environments - Live from your heart - London Advanced Integrative Therapy (AIT) Group - Mary Murtagh Media - Mindfulness for All - NFA Architects - One Spirit Interfaith Foundation - The Powys Society - Pronoun Press for the launch of The London Friends' Meetings (1869) - Quakers and Business Group - Quaker Concern for Animals - Quaker Court Tenant Management Organisation - railfuture - Shaping Our Lives - SIGnet: the Serious Investors Groups network - the Social Work Education Partnership (SWEP) - the Socialist Health Association - Subud - the Survivors History Group - Veni Vidi Theatre - War on Want - Waste Watch - Wesley's Chapel - Women's Aid - Young Friends of the Earth

How to hire a room


We are not alone

All Quaker meeting houses in London belong to the London Quaker Property Trust (Also called Six Weeks Meeting). This organisation tries to share its income and capital equitably between meetings. Bunhill, like other meetings with premises, has a Premises Committee of local members appointed by the Area Meeting, but nominated by Bunhill's Local Meeting. The Area Meeting has representatives on the London Quaker Property Trust. In practice, the Bunhill Premises Committee manages the building with the support of everyone else.

Winchmore Hill needs your help

Once upon a time, Bunhill was on the point of falling down and the other Quaker Meetings helped us repair the building. Now Winchmore Hill needs help. Click on the link to find out more.










FIND OUT MORE

Contact Quakers in Britain Here you will find details of other Quaker Meetings as well as information on Quakerism itself.

There is an online edition of Quaker faith and practice: the book of Christian discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

THE AREA MEETING

Bunhill Fields Meeting is a part of North London Area Quaker Meeting, until very recently known by its historical name of Devonshire House and Tottenham Monthly Meeting, a geographical grouping of Five Quaker Meetings, which runs from the City of London outwards to London's northernmost suburbs.

The other four local meetings are at New Barnet, Stoke Newington, Tottenham and Winchmore Hill. The picture below shows a Quaker Circle at Stoke Newington

Until June 2007 the Area Meeting was part of the larger regional grouping of London and Middlesex General Meeting. This has now been abolished, but much of its work has been taken up by a new body, London Quakers' website. See their new website!

Other area meetings near us include North East Thames - Hertford and Hitchin - North West London - South London - South East London, and London West

The Quaker Circle

RETURN TO THE TOP


Links useful for some people:

Advice for Clerks and Custodians of Records
Meeting records, their retention and disposal
Creation to curation of records
Depositing archives with appropriate repositories


Links to archive web sites:

James Grant's site:
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/pdaniels/Bunhill2.html
The earliest Internet Archive of James' site is 22.1.2000

Paul Bowers-Isaacson's site
http://www.bunhillfields.quaker.eu.org/
The earliest Internet Archive of Pauls' site is 7.4.2004

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