Princes Road Synagogue

Princes Road Synagogue
	Princes Road Synagogue in February 2010
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
Year consecrated	1874
Location
Location	Toxteth, Liverpool, England
Geographic coordinates	53.3951°N 2.9650°W
Architecture
Architect(s)	W. & G. Audsley
Type	Synagogue
Style	Moorish Revival & Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1872
Completed	1874
Construction cost	£14,975 8s 11d (1874)
Capacity	824 (original design)

Princes Road Synagogue, located in Toxteth, Liverpool in England, is the home of the Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation. It was founded in the late 1860s, designed by William James Audsley and George Ashdown Audsley and consecrated on 2 September 1874. It is widely regarded as the finest example of the Moorish Revival style of synagogue architecture in Great Britain.[1] Synagogues emulating its design are to be found as far afield as Sydney.

History

Princes Road Synagogue came into existence when the Jewish community in Liverpool in the late 1860s decided to build itself 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 Princes Road are the magnificent Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, the Anglican parish of St Margaret of Antioch, and a handsome, early French Gothic, Welsh Presbyterian Church.

The synagogue was designed by William James Audsley and George Ashdown Audsley, architect brothers from Edinburgh, and built at a cost of £14,975 8s 11d. It was consecrated on 2 September 1874. Meek describes the building as "eclectic" and states that the Princes Road Synagogue exemplifies the characteristic eclectic architecture in harmoniously blending features drawn from different styles.[2]

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 the then massive sum of £3,000 with some change. The £3,000 was donated to the synagogue for the decoration of the interior. In today's (2005's) terms it was something in the region of £750,000.

The synagogue is a testament to the wealth and social position of Liverpool's nineteenth-century Jewish magnates, a group with the wealth and taste also to commission Max Bruch to compose the Kol Nidre variations for cello and orchestra.[2]

The synagogue today is attended only on Sabbath mornings and holidays, though it remains popular for weddings and bar mitzvah celebrations.

Description

The synagogue is of brick construction, with bright terracotta bricks being used extensively for decoration. The facade 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.[1] H. A. Meek says, "He who has not seen the interior of Princes Road synagogue in Liverpool has not beheld the glory of Israel."[2]

Images

Facade
Nave looking east
Ceiling
Bimah
Inside
Torah ark
West window

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External links

References

Sharples, Joseph (2004). Pevsner Architectural guide to Liverpool, Yale University Press, p. 249
Meek, H. A. (1995). The Synagogue, Phaidon Press, London, p. 204

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[JS-1] Sharples, Joseph (2004). Pevsner Architectural guide to Liverpool, Yale University Press, p. 249

[Meek,_H._A._1995,_p._204-2] Meek, H. A. (1995). The Synagogue, Phaidon Press, London, p. 204

Buildings and structures in Liverpool, England
Skyscrapers and highrises (over 60m)	1 Princes Dock Alexandra Tower Beetham Tower Mann Island Buildings Municipal Buildings New Hall Place One Park West The Plaza Port of Liverpool Building Post & Echo Building Radio City Tower Royal Liver Building Thistle Atlantic Tower Unity Commercial Unity Residential West Tower
Notable lowrises	Albert Dock Alder Hey Children's Hospital Bank of England Bluecoat Chambers Britannia Adelphi Hotel Chinese Arch County Sessions House Crowne Plaza LJLA Cunard Building Empire Theatre Everyman Theatre, Liverpool Grand Central Hall Great North Western Hotel Hargreaves Building Homeopathic Hospital India Buildings International Slavery Museum Liverpool Central Library Liverpool Cotton Exchange Building Liverpool Magistrates' Court Liverpool Playhouse Liverpool Town Hall Liverpool Women's Hospital The Lyceum Malmaison Merseyside Maritime Museum Museum of Liverpool National Conservation Centre Oratory Oriel Chambers 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 White Star Building 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 Toxteth Unitarian Chapel Ullet Road Unitarian Church Welsh Presbyterian Church
Transportation	Liverpool Coach Station Liverpool One bus station James Street station Kingsway Tunnel Liverpool Central station Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool Lime Street station Liverpool South Parkway station Mersey Railway Tunnel Moorfields station Queensway Tunnel
Shopping complexes	Clayton Square Shopping Centre Lewis's Building Liverpool ONE Metquarter New Mersey Shopping Park St. John's Shopping Centre
Sports venues and arenas	Anfield Goodison Park Liverpool Cricket Club M&S Bank Arena O2 Academy Liverpool Walton Hall Park Wavertree Athletics Centre
Sculptures and monuments	Nelson Monument Steble Fountain Superlambanana Titanic Memorial Victoria Monument Wellington's Column Yellow Submarine Public art
Lists	Listed buildings in Liverpool List of tallest buildings and structures in Liverpool
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