The BBC included Birmingham’s Singers Hill synagogue on a list of England’s “hidden architectural gems” — buildings that “prove the maxim that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
They are the buildings you might walk past without a second glance, not realising that behind the plain facade lies a sight of wonderment.
Built in 1856 and considered Britain’s oldest active “cathedral synagogue,” the red-brick synagogue, a Grade II* listed building, is an early work by the prominent Birmingham architect H. Yeoville Thomason.
“Many people who live and work in Birmingham will have walked past the Singers Hill Synagogue in the city centre, but few will be aware of just how special it is inside,” states the BBC report.
Stained-glass windows, original chandeliers and handwritten scrolls on parchment are just some of the features that add to the character of this vibrant 19th Century building.
Keith Rowe, president of the synagogue, said: “With a lot of buildings you walk past and don’t know what’s inside. But when people come in here for the first time, they just say ‘wow’.
“And I still get that ‘wow’ myself.”
For years the synagogue fought closure, but it is now is enjoying a renaissance In the center of a regenerated city quarter.
It underwent renovation largely funded privately by members, and in 2010 was named the “most improved Place of Worship in the West Midlands” in an English Heritage report on the condition of religious buildings.
The rescue of the building was acknowledged in Jewish Heritage UK’s 2015 report on “synagogues at risk.”
Other buildings on the BBC’s “hidden architectural gems” list include the Leeds Library, the Cambridge Buddhist Centre, and the Black Horse Pub in Preston.
Click to see panoramic view of the synagogue and other photos at Synagogues360 web site
1 comment on “BBC calls Birmingham synagogue one of England’s hidden gems”
What a beautiful set of photos. Thanks for sending them to me.