Liverpool’s glorious Princes Road Synagogue has been recognized as one of the United Kingdom’s top-10 “Hidden Gems” — that means a site that is not wellknown but is ranked high by visitors who do find their way there.
This was determined by an organization called Go Compare that classified sites by merging high rankings on Tripadvisor with low numbers of visitors — sites in the lowest 20 percent of visitor numbers compared to overall statistics. It placed Princes Road, a Grade-1 listed building, as Number 3 out of the Top 10 “Hidden Gems,” which also include stately homes, nature sites, and museums in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
The Liverpool Echo writes that
…although it doesn’t look it from the outside the interior is breathtaking It is described as ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of colour and pattern, marble and alabaster, with gilded star-covered domes, jewel-like stained glass, and floral and abstract designs covering walls and ceilings.
Built in 1874 of red sandstone and unpressed brick, it was designed by Liverpool’s W and G Audsley.
In 2015, Historic England ranked Princes Road as one of England’s 10 most beautiful synagogues, calling it the “most lavish High Victorian Oriental synagogue in England.”
Here are a couple of videos about the synagogue, its architecture, and its history. The synagogue hosts an exhibition on the history of the building and congregation.
See the Princes Road Synagogue web site
Tours of the synagogue may be booked HERE
See the synagogue’s Facebook Page