Manchester Jewish Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manchester Jewish Museum |
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Manchester Jewish Museum
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Sephardi |
| Status | Museum |
| Location | |
| Location | Manchester, England |
 Location in Greater Manchester
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| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Edward Salomons |
| Architectural type | Synagogue |
| Architectural style | Moorish Revival |
| Completed | 1874 |
| Designated as NHL | |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Manchester Jewish Museum | |
| Designated: | 2 October 1974 |
| Reference #: | 1208472 |
The Manchester Jewish Museum is a special place in Manchester, England. It used to be a synagogue for Spanish and Portuguese Jews. A synagogue is a Jewish place of worship. This building is also a very important historic site, called a Grade II* listed building.
The synagogue was finished in 1874. But over time, many Jewish families moved to other parts of Manchester. So, the building was no longer used as a synagogue. In March 1984, it reopened as a museum. It tells the amazing story of Jewish people in Manchester over the last 200 years.
The museum had a big makeover and reopened on July 2, 2021. This project cost £6 million. Now, the museum has a new gallery, a vegetarian café, a shop, and a learning studio. The old synagogue part was also fully restored.
After the renovation, the Manchester Jewish Museum won two awards. These were for "Cultural and Leisure Project of the Year" and "Best Small Project of the Year." They won these awards with their architects and engineers.
The museum has more than 31,000 items in its collection. These items show the journey of Jewish people moving to and settling in Manchester. The collection includes over 530 recorded stories from people. There are also more than 20,000 photos. Plus, there are 138 interviews with people who survived the Holocaust.
The Moorish Revival Style
The synagogue was built in 1874 by a famous Manchester architect named Edward Salomons. He used a style called Moorish Revival. This style was inspired by the beautiful buildings of Moorish Spain.
Even though it's not the biggest Moorish Revival synagogue, it's considered a "jewel" by experts. This style was a great choice for a Sephardic Jewish community. Sephardic Jews have roots in Spain and Portugal.
You can see the Moorish style in the building's front. It has two rows of special horseshoe-shaped windows. The entrance also has a fancy recessed doorway. Above it, there's an archway with five decorative windows. Inside, horseshoe arches frame the holy ark, called the heichal. Colorful columns support the upper viewing areas. The wooden screens on the front doors, called mashrabiyya, are also very detailed and beautiful.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- History of the Jews in England
- List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom
- List of synagogues in the United Kingdom
- Listed buildings in Manchester-M8
