We extend a warm welcome to all Quakers, visitors or enquirers. Our main Meeting for Worship is from 10.30 to 11:30 am every Sunday. Quaker worship is mainly silent, but anyone may stand and speak if moved to do so. The end of the Meeting is signalled by two Elders shaking hands. Newcomers are then welcomed, notices are given, and a collection is taken for Quaker funds or another cause.
After this, all are welcome to join us for tea and coffee and chat. Friends will be pleased to tell you more about the beliefs and values of Quakers, and the activities of Quakers in Reading. We are diverse in our spiritual outlooks and life experiences. We do not try to persuade people on questions of faith, nor put pressure on anyone to accept particular views.
We are fortunate to have many families with children in our Meeting. Children and teenagers usually join the main Meeting until 10:45 am, when they go to their own Meeting. If you are bringing a young child to Meeting for the first time, you need to go with them to the children’s Meeting. If you become a regular attender, and your child is happy for you to leave them, you may return to the main Meeting.
There is disabled access to the meeting house, a disabled toilet and a hearing loop. Contact us if you have any specific access requirements.
If you are looking for a peaceful, central venue for a meeting in Reading (regular or one-off) then our main Meeting Room and five other rooms are available for outside groups to hire. You can view the details of rooms, prices and our terms and conditions of hiring .
» EMAIL FOR ROOM HIRINGS (READING)
Please note the start of your booking is the start time of your entry into the room(s) not the start time of your publicised event. The end of your booking is the time you leave the room(s) not the end of your publicised event.
If you are interested in hiring room(s) at Reading Friends' Meeting House, please first check availability with the Warden on (0118) 950 7736 or by
After contacting us, view prices, room info and download the application form here "please right click and save target as" and return by post. All bookings are only confirmed when we receive a completed & signed application form. We will then invoice you quarterly- Payment is required retrospectively.
Reading Quaker Meeting Room Hire Application/Terms/Charges
RQM hiring rooms v3.pdf (118.59kb)
Reading Quaker Meeting Room Hire Application/Terms/Charges
HIRING ROOMS AT READING QUAKER MEETING.doc (523kb)
By signing the application form above, we assume that you have read and agreed to our Terms and Conditions
It is in the nature of our Quaker community in Reading that we do not seek to make profit from the letting out of our rooms and facilities. However we do need to earn a sufficient amount to be able to operate and carefully maintain the building. For this reason we hope that our rates are fair and competitive.
» Reading Quakers Email Enquiry
Tel: 0118 950 7736
The address is 2 Church Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2SB.
The Meeting House is near the centre of Reading, see map below. (nb: There is an alley leading from London Street to Church Street. The Meeting House is closer to London Street than the placemarker on the map suggests.) Full directions to get to the Meeting House by foot, public transport or car are given here Directions
By Bike, Foot
Our Meeting House is close to Reading town centre. From Broad Street (John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, entrance to the Oracle) head east and then turn south down Duke Street and over the old hump-back bridge to the east of the Oracle shopping centre. Cross the dual carriageway and head up London Street. Watch out for a sign “Quaker Meeting House” pointing down an alley to the right. This opens out into Church Street, and the Meeting House is through a black double iron gate on your right.
By Train
Reading station is on the main line from London Paddington to the Midlands, Wales and the West of England, but also has trains to and from the south coast and the north. The meeting house is a 20 minute walk from the station. Walk up Station Road and Queen Victoria Street to Broad Street, turn left into Broad Street and carry on as above.
By Car
See the map here: maps.google.co.uk/maps. Church Street is a cul-de-sac. If you need to drop someone at the gate of the FMH, turn right off Southampton Street into Deansgate Road (just after the church) and then turn right and then left into Church Street. The FMH is near the end on the left (iron gates). There is no parking. On a Sunday you may be able to park in St Giles Close and walk through the alley at the end of the close to the FMH. Alternatively, park in London Street and follow the finger-post down the alley into Church Street. Note, however, that on London Street, South Street and East Street parking charges are in force every day, including Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 50p per 20 minutes with a maximum time permitted of two hours. On a weekday you will probably need to park in the Oracle Shopping Centre car park or Queens Road car park.
