THIS year will see Quakers in Bristol and surrounding areas mark 350 years since the religious movement was brought to the city. Celebrations will include historical walks and talks, exhibitions and workshops involving the seven meetings, including Frenchay and Thornbury, within the city and its surrounding areas. Gazette feature writer KIRSTY RAMSDEN met Quakers in Frenchay and Thornbury to find out more about the celebrations, the history and the movement today.

FRENCHAY Meeting House and the history of Quakers in the village is long and varied.

This rich history will be remembered in an exhibition to include documents, photographs and memorabilia at Frenchay Village Museum, one of many celebrations marking 350 years since the movement was brought to Bristol.

The museum already includes details about Frenchay Quakers and this will be augmented by the exhibition due to open in July.

Today about 20 people attend the meeting for worship in Frenchay on Sundays and up to six youngsters attend children's class.

Frenchay Quaker Martin Hartog explained Friends believed God was in everyone and therefore no need for priests nor sermons.

He said: "We sit in silence and if someone feels moved to speak they will get up.

"We don't have a priest and run our own affairs. We appoint a clerk from within ourselves."

Three main aspects of being a Quaker included the particular form of worship, belonging to a close-knit community and having a strong sense of service.

Quakers have worshipped in the area since the middle of the 17th century, first meeting in private houses.

In 1673 a meeting house at Frenchay was completed near the site of the present one. A caretaker's cottage was added at the back of the meeting house in 1738.

Hannah Rogers, who lived in Home Farm next door, now the site of Frenchay Lodge Cottage, gave a portion of her land for a burial ground to be added to the meeting house. The oldest grave stone is that of Mary Gaynor and dates to 1756.

In 1809 the present meeting house was built and the earlier one demolished.

The new building, which is now listed, consisted the present room where meeting for worship is held and the space upstairs, now the kitchen area.

A small corridor gave access to the road and the burial ground.

Five years later, responding to a request from the women of the meeting, an extension was built to the front, providing a meeting room above and stabling below, and the corridor was extended.

The interior wood panelling and screen is of archangel red pine imported from the Baltic through the city docks.

A notable Frenchay Quaker in the 18th century was Anthony Purver, schoolmaster and clerk to the meeting.

He was friendly with John Wesley and undertook the formidable task of translating the Bible.

A noted Frenchay Quaker family, the Tucketts, gave the field opposite the meeting house, in a corner of which the village hall now stands, for the people of Frenchay.

In 1996-1997 the exterior of the meeting house was refurbished. Layers of paint were removed and the walls treated with lime wash similar to the original.