An historic Truro building dating back to the 1800s is set to open its doors to the public on Wednesday October 3.

The Friends Meeting House, in Paul's Terrace, off Moresk Road, was built in 1825 and prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, a high profile Quaker, attended the building's official opening in October of that year.

The main benefactor of the plain Georgian-style building, which today is Grade 2 listed, was William Tweedy. A banker with the Cornish Bank, Tweedy gave part of the garden of his family home, Truro Vean, now Benson House, to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). He and his wife are buried in the peaceful burial ground which adjoins the meeting house.

Truro Quakers are hosting an open evening from 7pm to 9pm at the meeting house which is less than ten minutes walk from the city centre.

Visitors will be able to discover more about the building's history and there will also be a chance for those interested to find out more about Quakerism.

Harold Clarke, who has been a member of the Truro meeting since 1956, said: "Our building may be historic, but Quakerism is very much alive and active today. We feel that the Quaker message is contemporary, simple and radical."

British Quaker meetings today are attended by some 25,000 people of all ages and are open to everyone.

In conjunction with the open evening, a small display of Quaker artefacts will be exhibited at the Royal Cornwall Museum, River Street, from September 20 to October 3.

For more information about Quakerism, visit www.quaker.org.uk. To find out more about the open evening or Quakerism in Cornwall, telephone 01872 275791.