| Description | A meeting was originally set up in the area by George Cadbury to serve management and staff of the Cadbury factory which had moved to Bournville in 1879. From that year, Christian Society Evening Meetings were held at Stirchley Board School but from 1882 - 1892, a meeting was held in a room near the factory by Stirchley (now Bournville) station and was known as 'Bournville Meeting'. Attendance in 1891 was thought to be between 35-60. In 1892, the meeting moved to Stirchley Institute, on Hazelwell Street, which had been built by the Cadburys. This was large enough to hold 500 people. A group of members and attenders decided to leave the meeting and found another meeting in Bournville in 1905, from 1906 becoming Bournville Meeting, while the meeting on Hazelwell Street became Stirchley Meeting. The congregation moved to a meeting house, also on Hazelwell Street, which was constructed and opened in 1913. By 1917 it had 100 members and attenders, but by the 1950s, membership had declined. It closed in 2005 and has since been sold and turned into apartments.
The Clerk between 1891 and 1898 was Elizabeth M. Cadbury.
See SF/3 for a description of the functions of the Local/Preparative Meeting. |