Friends Meeting House
Airton, Yorkshire
The Meeting House is probably the oldest non-conformist place of worship anywhere.
The church is constructed in millstone grit, with roofs of lead, slate, and stone slate. Its plan consists of a four bay nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, both with side chapels, a south porch, a north hearse house, a two bay chancel, and a west tower. Towards the top of the southeast tower are the carved coat of arms of Fountain’s Abbey.
Inside the church three of the piers of the arcades contain trefoil headed niches. In the north aisle are some box pews dating from the 17th and early 18th centuries. The baptistry contains a font dating from the 11th century. This is decorated with zigzag moulding, and is set on a 19th century base.
There is a ring of eight bells. The oldest of these were cast in 1602 and 1617 by William Oldfield of York, one was cast in 1785 by Robert Dalton, and fourth was by John Warner & Sons and is dated 1897.