News

Cyclists and music camp at Claverham

Site Admin — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:10:12 +0000

At the beginning of July, 28 cyclists set out from Bristol on cycling trip of the South West. Their first overnight stop was at Claverham and the evening included discussion on forms of environmental activism. They found the Meeting House a perfect setting for a thoughtful evening, followed by camping in the grounds as well as using the accommodation to its capacity.

A month later, the Meeting House and grounds were full to capacity again as the music camp organised by Pat and David Bass returned to Claverham for the fifth time. Claverham is the perfect setting for summer evenings of shared meals on the patio followed by Elgar, Debussy, Mozart or Haydn in the Meeting House.

North Somerset Arts Week

Site Admin — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 20:54:42 +0000

Once again, Claverham Meeting House is one of the venues for North Somerset Arts Week, to be held this year from Friday 29th April to Sunday 8th May inclusive (10.00 am to 5.00 pm each day). This time, the exhibition will be in the Barn only, with the Meeting House open on the weekends for refreshments. Gail Mason, our resident artist and part-time warden will be exhibiting her paintings and prints, together with painter Jonathan Kinkead and sculptor Alexandra Chetwode.

Hearing Loop installed

Site Admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 22:34:23 +0000

A new hearing loop is now installed at the meeting house. Our two hearing impaired Friends who attended meeting for worship on the last Sunday in February both reported that it was a great improvement.

There were fourteen of us at meeting in February. We noted that we came from five different Local Meetings, which were now part of four different Area Meetings!

New Area Meeting meets at Claverham

Site Admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 22:27:31 +0000

History was made as the newly established North Somerset Area Meeting met for the first time. The chosen venue was our historic meeting house at Claverham. There was a short time of deep shared worship, followed by some necessary routine business. Formal minutes were passed, appointments made and a Governing Document adopted. There followed some free sharing of ideas and hopes for our new Area Meeting. There is a new venture of a midweek meeting for worship at The Campus in Worle on Wednesdays at 6.45 pm. The Area Meeting finished with the usual Quaker tea and chat and a feeling of relief and anticipation as we embark on this new more locally based venture.

Secret Supper Club at Claverham

Site Admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:00:11 +0000

On a cold November day, Claverham Meeting House was transformed into TV studio to film an episode of 'The Secret Supper Club'. The programme was shown on Saturday, 26th February on Channel 4, showing displays of local Somerset produce in our historic Quaker Meeting House prior to the preparation of a sumptuous meal at the Cider Barn at the Walled Garden in Wrington.

Cluster Meeting at Claverham

Site Admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:49:07 +0000

27 July 2010 update

Our Cluster Meeting, held at Claverham on the 11th June, was a historic occasion. The meeting was well attended by Friends from all three of our local meetings. Following a period of worship, we shared our hopes for a new way of doing Area Meeting business in a spirit of living adventurously. We feel there are opportunities for more involvement in our local community and more local outreach. Our members and attenders could feel more involved in Quaker business, which includes witness and looking after the needs of others as well as managing our premises and resources. We all need to feel the responsibility for getting the business done, but we need to keep it as simple as possible, so it stems from worship and enriches spiritual growth and witness. We hope for new energy and a fresh sense of community amongst us. A Steering Group was set up and met in July to set out in more detail poposals towards forming the new North Somerset Area Meeting based on Clevedon, Sidcot and West-super-Mare local meetings, with Claverham as an additional place of worship in the area.

Metfords of Claverham Meeting

Site Admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:35:23 +0000

Joseph Metford 1776-1863We are grateful to Peter Robson from Scarborough for getting in touch through our website and for sending archive material of his ancestors, Joseph and Elizabeth Metford, who attended Claverham Meeting in the mid-nineteenth century. Joseph had been a business man in Glastonbury and Bath who retired to live at Bickley (Cleeve side of Rhodyate Hill) in 1846 and then to Cypress Lodge (now the Old Malt House) in Kent Road, Congresbury. Elizabeth died in 1855 and Joseph became increasingly blind. His son Samuel returned from the United States to care for him and accompanied him on Sundays to Claverham Meeting.

Elizabeth (Rawes) Metford 1779-1855Joseph held radical political views which embarrassed some more conservative Quakers at the time. He had been a recognised Quaker 'minister', but this recognition was formally withdrawn at a Monthly Meeting held at Sidcot, even though the the younger members presented him with a gift of specially bound Bible in recognition of his service. Claverham Friends seemed to be tolerant of his egalitarian and anti-imperialist views, which included opposition to the occupation of India and advocating electoral reform.

Sameul Metford 1810-1896Joseph died in 1863 and both he and Elizabeth have grave stones in the burial ground at Claverham. Samuel died in 1896 in Weston-super-Mare.

Snowdrops in the burial ground

Site Admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:09:15 +0000

Friends coming to meeting for worship today were greeted with this glorious first hint of spring: a lovely carpet of snowdrops in the burial ground.

Diary of Eliza Clark

Site Admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:23:30 +0000

Local historian and curate at St. Mary's Church, Rev. Dr. Chris Steed, has been researching the lives of some members of the local community in the Victorian era. He used the diary of Eliza Clark, who attended Claverham Meeting in her youth with her family as a basis for one of the articles in this study. The diary was given to Claverham by Richard Clark and was lent to Chris Steed for the purposes of his study. The article makes fascinating reading and throws more light on the history of Claverham.

A copy of the article in Word document form can be downloaded and read by clicking on this link

Latest developments at Claverham

Site Admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:17:27 +0000

Recent visitors will have enjoyed the new comfortable beds in the larger bedroom. This month we are modernising our kitchen facilities. The bathrooms were upgraded years ago. Staying at Claverham is still enjoying the 'simple life' in peaceful surroundings with no television, but it is certainly no longer 'roughing it'. Many of our regular visitors have expressed their pleasure at the upgrades, while treasuring memories of more pioneer days.