List of former synagogues in the United Kingdom explained

This list of former synagogues in the United Kingdom consists of buildings in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which were previously used as synagogues; for a list of current Jewish communities or congregations, see List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom.

England

London

• Bayswater Synagogue, Chichester Place, Paddington, demolished in 1965 for construction of the Westway overpass and the Warwick Estate redevelopment
• Brixton Synagogue, Effra Road, Brixton
• Dalston Synagogue, Poets Road, Newington Green (c.1875–1970), demolished in 1970 and replaced by a block of council flats
• Dollis Hill Synagogue, which is now part of the Torah Temimah Primary School
• Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue, East End, which closed in 2014^[1]
• Great Synagogue of London, City of London, destroyed in The Blitz during World War II
• Machzike Hadath (Spitalfields Great Synagogue), East End, now the Brick Lane Mosque
• South East London Synagogue, New Cross^[2]
• Wlodawa Synagogue, Bethnal Green, which closed in 1987.^{[3] [4]}

Elsewhere

• Barnsley, Yorkshire  – Barnsley had a synagogue at 82 Castlereagh Street that was active from 1903 to 1946^[5]
• Birmingham – Severn Street Synagogue, now the Athol Masonic Hall^[6]
• Blackpool United Hebrew Congregation
• Blackburn Hebrew Congregation
• Bolton Synagogue, at 12a Wentworth Street, Bolton, which functioned as Bolton Hebrew Congregation's synagogue from 1924 until 1960, when it was demolished^[7]
• Brighton and Hove Regency Synagogue, Devonshire Place; it is now an apartment building
• Brighton and Hove – Roof-top Synagogue, Brunswick Terrace
• Canterbury had a synagogue on King Street. Designed by Hezekiah Marshall and opened in 1848, it was acquired by The King's School in 1982 and is now used for lessons and concerts.
• Cheltenham Synagogue
• Coventry Synagogue, which was built in 1870 and is Grade II listed.^[8]
• Derby Hebrew Congregation
• Falmouth, Cornwall – Falmouth Synagogue,
• Guildford Synagogue (medieval)
• Hartlepool – (West) Hartlepool Synagogue – demolished in the 1970s^{[9] [10]}
• Hull — Western Synagogue 1903–1994
• Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, until 1275
• Lincoln – Jew's Court Synagogue, dating from the 12th century
• Manchester – Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, now the Manchester Jewish Museum
• Middlesbrough Hebrew Congregation, which closed in 1998^[11]
• Newcastle – Jesmond Synagogue, which closed in 1986.^[12] The exterior has been carefully conserved, and the interior was gutted and renovated for use as a school.^[13] It formed part of the Newcastle High School for Girls until 2016, when approval was granted for its conversion into flats.^{[14] [15]}
• Newcastle – Leazes Park Synagogue, now used for student accommodation
• Northampton Medieval Synagogue^[16]
• Sheffield – Wilson Road Synagogue; the building is now used as a church^[17]
• Sunderland Synagogue
• Widnes Synagogue, St Paul's Chambers – closed and became a masonic lodge, later a nightclub. Now derelict.

Scotland

• Dundee Synagogue
• Langside Synagogue, Glasgow^[18]

Wales

• Cardiff Old Hebrew Congregation, Cathedral Road, now an office block
• Merthyr Synagogue, Merthyr Tydfil^{[19] [20]}
• Newport Jewish Community and Hebrew Congregation^{[21] [22]}
• Pontypridd Synagogue^[23]

Northern Ireland

• Belfast – Regency Street Congregation^[24]
• Derry – Londonderry Synagogue^[25]
• Lurgan – Lurgan Hebrew Congregation, at 49 North Street,^[26] now a dry-cleaning shop^[27]

See also

• List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom
• Oldest synagogues in the United Kingdom

External links

• JCR-UK (Jewish Communities & Records – United Kingdom) for a complete list of synagogues (past and present) in the United Kingdom

Notes and References

1. Web site: the former Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue . 2 November 2017 . JCR-UK . 31 December 2018.
2. Book: Renton, Peter . The lost synagogues of London . 108 . 2000 . Tymsder Publishing . 978-0-9531104-2-1.
3. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22765 Bethnal Green Judaism, British History online
4. Lindsay, Paul, The Synagogues of London, London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1993, p. 66
5. Web site: Horwich . Ed . 6 August 2018 . Blue Plaque for Barnsley . 20 September 2018 . Jewish Small Communities Network.
6. Book: Foster, Andy . Birmingham . (Pevsner Architectural Guides) . . 2005 . 0300107315 . 208.
7. Web site: 14 December 2016 . The former Bolton Hebrew Congregation, Bolton, Greater Manchester. . 24 September 2021.
8. News: Doherty . Rosa . 17 September 2021 . Israeli's labour of love to restore Midlands shul . . 24 September 2021.
9. Web site: Jewish Synagogue . 19 September 2018 . Hartlepool History Then & Now . . Hartlepool.
10. News: 15 December 2016 . The former West Hartlepool Hebrew Congregation & Hartlepool Jewish Community Hartlepool, County Durham . JCR-UK . 19 September 2018.
11. Web site: 30 August 2017 . The former Middlesbrough Hebrew Congregation & Jewish Community . 19 September 2018 . JCR-UK.
12. Web site: Jesmond, Eskdale Terrace, Jesmond Synagogue | sitelines.newcastle.gov.uk . Twsitelines.info . 3 April 1965 . 8 July 2017.
13. "Art role for ex-synagogue,": The Journal (Newcastle, England) 25 May 2006.
14. Web site: Former Synagogue, Eskdale Road, Jesmond (C) Andrew Curtis:Geograph Britain and Ireland . Geograph.org.uk . 8 July 2017.
15. News: Graham, Hannah. Fancy living in this century-old former synagogue and school building?. ChronicleLive. 29 December 2016. 1 March 2022.
16. News: Dysch . Marcus . 15 April 2010 . Northampton synagogue discovered under kebab shop . . 19 September 2018.
17. Book: Harman . Ruth . Sheffield (Pevsner Architectural Guides) . Minnis . John . . 2004 . 978-0300105858 . 262.
18. Web site: Langside Synagogue in Glasgow given official protection . BBC News . 15 September 2020 . 15 September 2020.
19. News: Plan to save Europe's synagogues receives high-profile backing . Sherwood . Harriet . 3 February 2018 . . 3 February 2018.
20. News: Defunct synagogue to be restored as Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre in £1m project . Toberman . Barry . 13 September 2019 . The Jewish Chronicle.
21. Web site: Newport Jewish Community and Hebrew Congregation . JCR-UK. Newport Jewish Community . 26 December 2016 . 13 September 2019.
22. News: Rocker . Simon . 25 February 2022 . UK's smallest synagogue damaged in attempted burglary . . 1 March 2022.
23. Web site: The former Pontypridd Synagogue and Jewish Community . 21 September 2016 . . 13 September 2019.
24. Web site: The former Regency Street Congregation Belfast, Northern Ireland . 27 July 2017 . JCR-UK. 17 September 2018.
25. Web site: Londonderry Jewish Community & Synagogue . 24 October 2017 . JCR-UK . 17 September 2018.
26. Web site: Lurgan Jewish Community & Hebrew Congregation . JCR-UK . Congregation Data . 3 August 2016 . 18 September 2016.
27. News: Express Dry Cleaners . . 18 September 2016.