A week-long series of events are to be held in a South Cumbrian hall which played host to George Fox, an early founder of Quakerism.
Fox first visited Swarthmoor Hall near Ulverston in 1652 as he travelled across England and returned to the hall which became a place where early Quakers could meet, organise and plan preaching missions.
Margaret Fell, who lived at the hall with her husband and family, also became a leader within the early Quaker movement.
To mark the 400th anniversary of Fox’s birth, Swarthmoor Hall is inviting visitors to join them in a series of talks and family activities throughout the week and is also an opportunity to celebrate the hall reopening to visitors for the first time since 2020.
General manager of Swarthmoor Hall, John Moffat, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming people back into the hall and gardens after being closed for so long.
“Our recently completed building restoration project and the special George Fox anniversary is the perfect chance to show off Swarthmoor to more people across Cumbria and further afield.”
The week begins with a Quaker communities day and then moves into a free programme of events including a series of talks throughout the week on different Quaker themes.
On Thursday evening, visitors are invited to join a Quaker meeting for worship for all in the Great Hall, just as Fox and Fell would have done.
The week culminates in a tree planting ceremony on the morning of Saturday July 20.
Swarthmoor Hall, gardens and cafe will be open from tomorrow, Tuesday July 16 until Saturday July 20, 10am to 4pm.
There is plenty of parking on site and Ulverston train station is a 15-minute walk away.
To find out more about the planned celebrations, click here.
