Southport Friend’s Trip to Swarthmoor Hall
On 26th September 2024 five friends set off in pouring rain on a trip to Swarthmoor Hall near Ulverston in Cumbria. The Hall played a significant part in the development of the Society of Friends. It is plain in style with Tudor or Jacobean features and dates back to the period of the parliament government under Oliver Cromwell. George Fox and Margaret Fell were justly famous occupants.
The trip up the motorway went smoothly enough, arriving at the Hall at about 11am. The first priority was to get a coffee in the café! One added bonus for us all was that they waived the admittance fee for us. Our number was made up of John and Anne Webster, Sheila Galligan, Linden Robinson and my goodself, Gerard Hughes.
We had decided on this date because a Meeting for Worship was to be held in the old Hall with some local Friends. The Meeting started at 11am and was to last for two hours till 1pm. Our party felt that a full two hours might just be a bit too much for our bottoms. My Friends put me nominally in charge of proceedings! (born leader that I am !) and suggested that they would leave the Meeting when I did. Accordingly we entered the room where there were five gentlemen already deep in their worship. There were exactly five chairs available, so we sat down and settled into the Meeting. We all felt the history and atmosphere of the building around us and felt totally comfortable and at home. Following some spoken Ministry, I decided it was time to make a move so the five of us left the Meeting. We walked around the rest of the Hall reading the information in each of the historical rooms, mostly on tip toes so as not to disturb the worshippers in the room below us. Our efforts to be quiet, however, were in vain. On returning to the ground floor, one of our number, who shall remain nameless, although it wasn’t me, had the misfortune to collide with an A frame notice board. The floor was a stone flag floor, perfect for making a loud clattering sound. Unfortunately our timing was far from perfect, as this was just before 1pm and the conclusion of the Meeting for Worship. A quick exit seemed to be the most appropriate course of action.
The rain continued to pour making a tour of the grounds very brief. It was therefore time for lunch. We had been recommended to go to The Orangery at the local Hospice. Following the Sat Nav we arrived after a few wrong turns. Due to the skill of the driver we managed to negotiate some very tight country roads and a very busy car park. (I am too vain to be a good Quaker).
Unfortunately the café was exceedingly busy, but they did find us a table outside, but fortunately under cover! I shall remember my meal I enjoyed it so much! Meat and Potato pie served with mushy peas and beetroot. Sorry, I can’t remember what everyone else had. Still it was nice looking at the rain obscuring the magnificent views of the Cumbrian countryside (or so we were informed).
We journeyed back down the motorway until I decided to drive through Preston in the rush hour, rather than driving around the town! I’m not so perfect after all!
Gerard Hughes