Open House at Friargate

The Quaker Meeting House on Friargate is opening its doors to the public on Sunday 27 September, from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. It's called the Open House, and it's part of the Meeting House's annual Quaker Week. For that afternoon, the meeting room is handed over to anyone who wants to come in and have a look around.

The focus this time is on Quaker creativity, so you'll find music, poetry and other creative arts on display. It's not just a gallery to walk through, either — there are refreshments on hand, so you can hang around and chat rather than just drifting in and out. It's open to everyone, regardless of whether you have any connection to Quakerism or not.

If you're not familiar with the background, Quakerism has a long and distinguished history in York. The city produced household names like Cadbury and Rowntree, both of whom came from that tradition, so the Quaker presence here goes back further than most of us realise. The Open House is a chance to see the Meeting House from the inside, and to see some of the creative work coming out of the community.

If you find yourself interested in what happens there the rest of the year, the Meeting House also holds weekly Meeting for Worship, which is open to all: 1:15-1:45pm midweek and 10:30-11:30am on Sunday. The Open House runs from 12:00pm to 4:00pm on 27 September at the Quaker Meeting House, Friargate, York, YO1 9RL.