A Friends meeting house is a place of worship for Quakers. Early Quakers spoke contemptuously of churches as "steeple houses" and Friends were convinced that there was no necessity for special buildings for worship. Early friends met for worship in people's homes or even in the open air.
However sheer growth in numbers made it necessary to create specific meeting houses. Some were adapted from existing structures, but most were purpose-built. The hallmark of a meeting house is extreme simplicity and the absence of any liturgical symbols.
A meeting house will usually consist of: a large meeting room, smaller rooms for committees, children's classes, etc., a kitchen and toilets. The windows are set sufficiently high that worshippers will not be distracted by the activities of the outside world. The seating was originally long, hard and wooden. Today it is usually separate chairs but the layout remains the same - a square or rectangle facing inwards to a table in the middle.