Timeline of key events
1900: The Bedford Institute Association (BIA - now Quaker Social Action) founded a centre in Walthamstow, initially operating out of a small hall built in 1903.
1906: A larger hall and classroom block were added to the mission centre.
1908: Regular Meeting for Worship began at the BIA Friends Hall.
1993: The Walthamstow Friends Meeting acquired a separate building, a former printing works.
2006: The original BIA Friends Hall was sold.
Notable connections
William Morris, the renowned author, artist, and social activist, grew up in Walthamstow. His father was a partner in a Quaker firm of discount-brokers.
Richard Penn, brother of the Quaker William Penn, was buried in Walthamstow in 1673. (William Penn founded the Providence of Pennsylvania as a haven for religious and political tolerance, which had relatively peaceful relationships with indigenous peoples in colonial-era Americas. Pennsylvania later became a State.)