Rookhow Quaker Meeting House is situated near Rusland in South Cumbria.
By the 1720s, Quaker numbers were growing fast and there was demand for more meeting houses so the Quakers to gather together.
Rookhow was built in 1725 as a residence to provide enough gathering space for local Quakers to meet in the Rusland Valley and a wider area.
At the time there were other meeting houses in the South Lakes area (‘north of the sands’) such as Ulverston, Kendal, Hawkshead, and Cartmel Fell.
There were many more people living in the area during this period as they worked on the land as farm workers or in the acres of woodland either woodcutting, coppicing or charcoal burning. Evidence of charcoal pits are still evident in the woods today.
When built, Rookhow brought together like-minded religious folk who were not part of the traditional church.
Quakers met in this simple meeting house, without furniture, but benches for the attendees to sit, often for hours in silence. The attendees found being still and silent brought them inner peace and spirituality.
Today, Rookhow still holds meetings for worship on the first Wednesday of each month (7.30-8 pm) and the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month (12.30-1 pm). All are welcome to attend.
