Princes Road Synagogue, officially Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation, is an Orthodox

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located on Princes Road in the

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Liverpool, Canning, Dingle, Liverpool, Dingle, and Edge Hill, Merseyside, Edge Hill ...

district of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

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, in the United Kingdom. The congregation was formed in and worships in the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

rite Rite may refer to: Religion * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite (Christianity), sacred rituals in the Christian religion * Ritual family, Christian liturgical traditions; often also called ''liturgical rites'' * Catholic particular ch ...

. 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 Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

style of

synagogue architecture Synagogue architecture often follows styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. According to tradition, the Shekhinah ...

in the United Kingdom, and a synagogue emulating its design can be found in

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, 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

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 In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

; immediately adjacent to the synagogue on Princes Road are the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

'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. The synagogue was designed by William James Audsley and George Ashdown Audsley, Scottish architect brothers from

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. 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. 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

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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 Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic Music, Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin ...

to compose the Kol Nidre variations for cello and orchestra. The synagogue today is attended only on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

mornings and holidays, though it remains popular for weddings and

b'nai mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

. It was re opened after 9 months in August 2021 after having previously been closed due to budgetary issues. The synagogue was featured prominently in a stamp released for the coronation of King Charles III, intended to celebrate religious diversity.

Description

The synagogue is of brick construction, with bright

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

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 The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

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. 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."Meek, H. A. (1995). ''The Synagogue'',

Phaidon Press Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional of ...

, London, p. 204

Images

File:Princes Road Synagogue 2017.jpg, Façade File:Nave of Princes Road Synagogue.jpg, Nave looking east File:Ceiling of Princes Road Synagogue.jpg, Ceiling File:Almemar, Princes Road Synagogue.jpg, Bimah File:Princes Road Synagogue Nave.jpg, Inside File:Torah Ark, Princes Road Synagogue 1.jpg, Torah ark File:West window, Princes Road Synagogue.jpg, West window

References

External links

*
''Art of Faith'' blog
*http://www.liverpool.ndo.co.uk/gatsoc/news03/page23.html *https://www.visitliverpool.com/things-to-do/princes-road-synagogue-p7512 {{Authority control 1780s establishments in England 19th-century synagogues in Europe Ashkenazi Jewish culture in England Ashkenazi synagogues in the United Kingdom Gothic Revival synagogues Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool Grade I listed religious buildings and structures Jewish organizations established in the 1780s Moorish Revival architecture in the United Kingdom Moorish Revival synagogues Orthodox synagogues in England Religion in Merseyside Synagogues completed in 1874 Tourist attractions in Liverpool Toxteth

History

Description

Images

See also

References

External links