| Description | There is some evidence of Friends living in Tamworth from 1670 onwards, but a meeting was not established there before the beginning of the 18th century, and there is no evidence of their first meeting house. Initially the meeting was in Baddesley Monthly Meeting, and then it became part of Warwickshire Monthly Meeting from 1710. In 1751 a plot of land was purchased in Lichfield Street for the building of a meeting house. Although Friends in the area were enthusiastic in developing the Quaker movement in the early days of the meeting, this declined and by the early 19th century, a combination of young members leaving the Religious Society of Friends, removals to meetings elsewhere and deaths of older members meant the meeting had become very small by 1820. The meeting house was closed in 1852, after the last member had died, and the building was rented by the Methodists. The income from this went to Birmingham Preparative Meeting to be used for charitable purposes. In 1867, the building was reported to the Charity Commission as being empty and no longer used for religious worship. Warwickshire Monthly Meeting Trustees sold the meeting house in 1979.
See SF/3 for a description of the functions of the Local/Preparative Meeting. |