Oldest synagogues in the United Kingdom facts for kids
A synagogue is a special building where Jewish people gather to pray, learn, and celebrate. When we talk about the "oldest" synagogues, it can mean different things!
Some very old synagogues were found by archaeologists or historians. These buildings might have been used for other things for hundreds of years. Other old synagogues were built after Jewish people were allowed to return to England in the 1600s.
Sometimes, a synagogue building was destroyed and then rebuilt in the same spot. So, the community might be very old, but the building itself is new. Also, some old synagogue buildings are now used for other purposes, like churches, homes, or schools. But some very old synagogues are still used as synagogues today!
Contents
Oldest Synagogues in England
England has many old synagogues, each with its own story.
Jews' Court, Lincoln
The Jews' Court in Lincoln was built between 1150 and 1180. Experts have found that most of the medieval stone is in the basement. Records from 1290, when Jewish people were asked to leave England, show that Jews' Court was always two houses. A document from 1316 mentions that a Jewish school or synagogue was located behind these houses. Since 1992, the Jewish community in Lincolnshire has held its services here.
Guildford Synagogue
The Guildford Synagogue was built around 1180.
Great Synagogue of London
The Great Synagogue of London was built around 1690. Sadly, it was destroyed during the Blitz (a bombing campaign in World War II) on May 10-11, 1941.
Bevis Marks Synagogue
The Bevis Marks Synagogue in London was built in 1701. It is the oldest synagogue building in the United Kingdom that has been used continuously as a synagogue.
Plymouth Synagogue
The Plymouth Synagogue, built in 1762, is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue building in the English-speaking world. Ashkenazi Jews are a group of Jewish people who originally came from Central and Eastern Europe.
Exeter Synagogue
The Exeter Synagogue was built in 1763. It was first built for a Sephardic Congregation. Sephardic Jews are a group of Jewish people who originally came from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
Falmouth Synagogue
The Falmouth Synagogue was built in 1806, but it is not active anymore.
Chatham Memorial Synagogue
The Chatham Memorial Synagogue was built in 1867.
West London Synagogue
The West London Synagogue was built in 1870.
Princes Road Synagogue, Liverpool
The Princes Road Synagogue in Liverpool was built between 1872 and 1874.
New West End Synagogue
The New West End Synagogue was built between 1877 and 1879.
Oldest Synagogues in Northern Ireland
Belfast Synagogues
The first synagogue in what is now Northern Ireland was started by Daniel Jaffe on Great Victoria Street, Belfast in 1870. The Annesley Street Synagogue in Belfast was built in 1904. It closed in 1965, but it is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Northern Ireland.
Oldest Synagogues in Scotland
Garnethill Synagogue
The Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow was built between 1879 and 1881.
Oldest Synagogues in Wales
The Merthyr Synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, was built in 1872. It is believed to be the oldest synagogue in Wales that was built specifically to be a synagogue and is still standing.
See also
- Oldest synagogues in the world
- Oldest synagogues in Canada
- Oldest synagogues in the United States
