7 Chapel Street and Mission Room
The Adult School and Mission House was built by the Quakers in 1894. The first page of their minute book tells us that 300 people attended the tea which was held in connection with the opening ceremony – it must have been very crowded. The Geden and Blake families were among the early stalwarts. In 1915, with Walter Blake as auctioneer, the sale of produce following the Harvest Festival made £4 18s 3 1/2d, less 11s printing and hospitality. In the same year it was decided to restart the Band of Hope as reported in the Evesham Journal
BADSEY - BAND OF HOPE
A very interesting entertainment was given on Monday evening in the Friends’ Mission Room, in aid of the Band of Hope funds. The members were given a splendid tea at 5.30. The committee also invited the Belgian children staying in the village to the tea, which they very much enjoyed. An entertainment commenced at seven o’clock. The chair being taken by Mr W W Blake (president of the Band of Hope), who opened with a few well-chosen remarks. A most interesting programme was gone through. The Chairman thanked all who helped make the entertainment such a great success.
The Band of Hope was the Juvenile Branch of the Church of England Temperance Society. The object of the society was to encourage children to abstain from intoxicating drinks. The first Badsey branch was started in April 1898.
The Valuation Survey of 1915 states that W W Blake was the occupier of the cottage, living rent – free “in return for services rendered as caretaker to the Meeting house adjacent.” The Quakers continued to meet in Badsey until 1962 – Walter “Dumpling” Stewart was chapel clerk from 1914 until 1955 – and in later years the mission room was used intermittently by other denominations. It has since become a dance school, extensive renovation being necessary after a serious fire in 1994.
The building in 1968