Princes Road Synagogue

Princes Road Synagogue
Princes Road Synagogue
	The synagogue in February 2010
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Rite	Nusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Status	Active
Location
Location	Princes Road, Toxteth, Liverpool, England L8 1TG
Country	United Kingdom
	Location of the synagogue in Liverpool
Geographic coordinates	53°23′42″N 2°57′54″W / 53.3951°N 2.9650°W
Architecture
Architect(s)	W. & G. Audsley
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Moorish Revival; Gothic Revival;
Date established	c. 1780 (as a congregation)
Groundbreaking	1872
Completed	1874; 150 years ago
Construction cost	££14,975 (1874)
Capacity	824 worshipers
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Princes Road Synagogue
Type	Listed building
Designated	14 March 1975
Reference no.	1072969

Princes Road Synagogue, officially Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Princes Road in the Toxteth district of Liverpool, England, in the United Kingdom. The congregation was formed in c. 1780 and worships in the Ashkenazi rite.^[1]

The synagogue building was designed by brothers, William James Audsley and George Ashdown Audsley, completed in 1874, and was listed as a Grade I building in 1975. The building is widely regarded as the finest example of the Moorish Revival style of synagogue architecture in the United Kingdom,^[2] and a synagogue emulating its design can be found in Sydney, Australia.

History

Princes Road Synagogue came into existence when the Jewish community in Liverpool in the late 1860s decided to build a new synagogue, reflecting the status and wealth of the community. The Toxteth area was rapidly expanding as Liverpool's magnates built opulent mansions. The synagogue stands in a cluster of houses of worship designed to advertise the wealth and status of the local captains of industry, a group that was remarkably ethnically diverse by the standards of Victorian England; immediately adjacent to the synagogue on Princes Road are the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, the Church of England's parish of St Margaret of Antioch, and the Welsh Presbyterian Church.

Construction on the synagogue was completed in 1874. The idea for the synagogue mixed both eastern and western schools of art.^[3]

The synagogue was designed by William James Audsley and George Ashdown Audsley, Scottish architect brothers from Edinburgh, and built at a cost of approximately £14,975. It was consecrated on 2 September 1874. The building has been described as "eclectic" and it has been said that the synagogue exemplifies the characteristic eclectic architecture in harmoniously blending features drawn from different styles.^[4]

The ladies of the Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation held a bazaar and luncheon in February 1874. They invited the important dignitaries and arranged for the band of the Coldstream Guards to play. The event raised approximately £3,000 (equivalent to £346,920 in 2020) which was donated to the synagogue for the decoration of the interior. The synagogue is a testament to the wealth and social position of Liverpool's 19th-century Jewish magnates, a group with the wealth and taste to also commission Max Bruch to compose the Kol Nidre variations for cello and orchestra.^[4]

The synagogue today is attended only on Shabbat mornings and holidays, though it remains popular for weddings and b'nai mitzvah.

It was re opened after 9 months in August 2021 after having previously been closed due to budgetary issues.^[5]

The synagogue was featured prominently in a stamp released for the coronation of King Charles III, intended to celebrate religious diversity.^[6]

Description

The synagogue is of brick construction, with bright terracotta bricks being used extensively for decoration. The façade reveals the plan of the building, a basilica with nave and aisles. The central section juts forward from the aisles. It has a large Moorish portal divided by a central column, above which is a large wheel window in the Romanesque style, both deeply recessed in arches.

The synagogue has a central nave with aisles on either side, separated by an arcade carried on slender octagonal columns, which also support galleries over the aisles. The nave has a barrel vault lit by clerestory windows. The interior is notable for its lavish decoration, including gilding and unstinting use of the finest woods and marbles.^[2] H. A. Meek was so impressed with the design that he wrote in his 1995 book The Synagogue, "He who has not seen the interior of Princes Road Synagogue in Liverpool has not beheld the glory of Israel."^[4]

Images

Façade
Nave looking east
Ceiling
Bimah
Inside
Torah ark
West window

References

^ ^a ^b "Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation". Jewish Communities and Records – UK. JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b Sharples, Joseph (2004). Pevsner Architectural guide to Liverpool. Yale University Press. p. 249.
^ Parry, Josh; Greasley, Remy (15 April 2022). "Inside Liverpool's 150 year old synagogue with a unique choir". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Meek, H. A. (1995). The Synagogue, Phaidon Press, London, p. 204
^ Frot, Mathilde. "Historic Mersey shul makes tour plans after resuming services". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
^ Rocker, Simon. "A kippah and synagogue feature on newly released coronation stamp". The Jewish Chronicle.

External links

[JCR-1] "Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation". Jewish Communities and Records – UK. JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2024.

[JS-2] Sharples, Joseph (2004). Pevsner Architectural guide to Liverpool. Yale University Press. p. 249.

[3] Parry, Josh; Greasley, Remy (15 April 2022). "Inside Liverpool's 150 year old synagogue with a unique choir". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

[Meek,_H._A._1995,_p._204-4] Meek, H. A. (1995). The Synagogue, Phaidon Press, London, p. 204

[5] Frot, Mathilde. "Historic Mersey shul makes tour plans after resuming services". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

[6] Rocker, Simon. "A kippah and synagogue feature on newly released coronation stamp". The Jewish Chronicle.

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v t e Buildings and structures in Liverpool, England
Skyscrapers and highrises	1 Princes Dock Alexandra Tower Beetham Tower The Lexington Municipal Buildings New Hall Place The Plaza Port of Liverpool Building Post & Echo Building Radio City Tower Royal Liver Building Unity Commercial Unity Residential West Tower
Notable lowrises	Albert Dock Traffic Office Alder Hey Children's Hospital Atlantic Tower Bank of England Bluecoat Chambers Britannia Adelphi Hotel Calderstones House Chinese Arch County Sessions House Crowne Plaza LJLA Cunard Building Empire Theatre Everton Water Tower Everyman Theatre, Liverpool Grand Central Hall Great North Western Hotel Hargreaves Building Homeopathic Hospital India Buildings International Slavery Museum James Parsons Building Liverpool Central Library Liverpool Cotton Exchange Building Liverpool Magistrates' Court Liverpool Playhouse Liverpool Town Hall Liverpool Women's Hospital The Lyceum Malmaison Mann Island Buildings Merseyside Maritime Museum Museum of Liverpool National Conservation Centre One Park West Oratory Oriel Chambers Philharmonic Dining Rooms Philharmonic Hall Prudential Assurance Building Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts Royal Court Theatre Royal Insurance Building Royal Liverpool University Hospital Speke Hall Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse St George's Hall Tate Liverpool Tower Buildings Victoria Building Walker Art Gallery Wheel of Liverpool White Star Building Woolton Hall World Museum Liverpool
Places of worship	All Saints' Church Al-Rahma Mosque Church of All Hallows Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church of St Agnes and St Pancras Church of St Clare German Church Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas Gustav Adolf Church Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Norwegian Fishermans' Church Old Christ Church The Oratory Princes Road Synagogue St George's Church Saint John the Baptist's Church St Luke's Church St Luke's Church, Walton St Michael's Church St Peter's Church Toxteth Unitarian Chapel Ullet Road Unitarian Church Welsh Presbyterian Church
Transportation	James Street station Kingsway Tunnel Liverpool Central station Liverpool Coach Station Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool Lime Street station Liverpool One bus station Liverpool South Parkway station Mersey Railway Tunnel Moorfields station Queensway Tunnel
Shopping complexes	Clayton Square Shopping Centre Lewis's Building Liverpool ONE Liverpool Shopping Park Metquarter New Mersey Shopping Park St Johns Shopping Centre
Sports venues and arenas	Aigburth Cricket Ground Anfield Goodison Park Liverpool Arena O2 Academy Liverpool Walton Hall Park Wavertree Athletics Centre
Sculptures and monuments	Liverpool Cenotaph Nelson Monument Steble Fountain Superlambanana Titanic Memorial Victoria Monument Wellington's Column Yellow Submarine
Notable demolished	Childwall Hall Concourse House Custom House The Futurist Cinema Liverpool Castle Liverpool Central High Level railway station Liverpool Sailors' Home Liverpool Overhead Railway Octagon Chapel St Peter's Church St John's Market Walton Hall
Lists	List of public art in Liverpool List of tallest buildings and structures in Liverpool Listed buildings in Liverpool
Category Commons

History

Description

Images

See also

References

External links