Built nearly 150 years ago, Princes Road Synagogue has remained a fundamental part of Liverpool's Jewish community and this week its importance will be highlighted as it serves as the place of worship for those observing Passover, which begins this weekend.
It has been called the 'jewel in the crown' of Liverpool's architecture, but you won't know why until you step inside the Grade II listed building. The building is well known for its gilded interior decorated in the style of a gothic basilica.
Construction on the building was completed in 1874 by architects W&G Audsley, two brothers whose idea for the synagogue mixed both eastern and western schools of art and drew from European inspiration seen first-hand. The brothers became famous for the design and would later go on to pioneer some of the first skyscrapers in New York.
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Costing £13,000 to build - which is over £100m in today’s terms - the Synagogue was funded by members of the congregation, including famous shop keeper and marketing expert David Lewis, who also founded Liverpool’s famous department store.
The design was so well renowned that years later, the thriving Jewish community in London decided that they wanted a Synagogue of the same style.
After buying the drawings and designs, an almost identical Synagogue was built in Bayswater, London that is still in use today.
Inside, the architects used cast iron to construct the pillars - but it wasn’t just the structure of the building that made Princes Road Synagogue the first to do many things. Jewish services are traditionally backed by an all-male choir, however, during WW2 when the members of Princes Road’s choir were sent off to war, their wives volunteered to sing in their place.
The Rabbi at the time reportedly loved the sound of the mixed choir so much, that even when the men returned from war he took the decision to have a mixed sex choir permanently. To this day it remains one of only a few orthodox Jewish choirs in the world which allows both males and females to sing during sermons.
As well as continuing its life as a functional synagogue, Princes Road also contains an exhibition of the congregation’s 250 year history, which started long before Princes Road was built. The Synagogue was also featured heavily in a documentary about Jewish life in Liverpool entitled ‘Chicken Soup and Scouse’ - which was created by the editor of the Synagogue’s magazine, Michael Swerdlow.
However, despite its respected status, the synagogue now has a dwindling congregation - partly due to Liverpool’s declining Jewish population, which was reportedly less than 2,000 in 2015.
In order to show the importance of the building and to raise much needed funds, tours of Princes Road Synagogue are available Monday - Thursday and can be booked by calling 0151 709 3431.
