Middle Street Synagogue, Brighton
Encyclopedia
The Middle Street Synagogue is a synagogue
in the centre of Brighton
, part of the English
city of Brighton and Hove. It was the centre for Jewish
worship in Brighton and Hove for more than a century, and has been called Brighton's second most important historic building. Although it is not presently in full-time use, the building is still open at certain times, and services are still held at certain times of the year. It has been listed at Grade II*, reflecting its architectural and historic importance.
n settler, Emanuel Hyam Cohen, established a Jewish school on the seafront in the 1780s and a place of worship between 1789 and 1792. The latter moved from Jew Street (off Bond Street) to West Street in 1808, but there is no record of the nature of the buildings; meetings may in fact have taken place in private houses. The Brighton Regency Synagogue
was built in 1823 on land leased from a hotel, and enlarged by David Mocatta
(architect of Brighton railway station
, and member of the prominent Jewish Mocatta
family) in 1836. It was used until the new synagogue was opened in Middle Street in 1875. Situated on Devonshire Place, the stucco
ed building in the Classical style
still stands; an inscription on the outside, including the Hebrew calendar
year of opening (5598), can still be seen on the entablature
, but it is now in commercial use. The Chanukah menorah at the Middle Synagogue was brought from the Brighton Regency Synagogue.
Chief Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler
attended the start of construction work in Middle Street on 19 November 1874. The architect, Thomas Lainson
, had been responsible for many buildings in Hove, including a Congregational church
and the residential development on the Wick Farm estate, and also the Bristol Road Methodist Church
in Kemptown
. After ten months of work at a cost of £12,000 (£ as of ), the dedication ceremony took place on 23 September 1875 and the synagogue was opened. Its capacity of 300 was six times higher than that of its predecessor.
The Sassoon family
, a wealthy Jewish dynasty with links to Brighton and Hove, funded various expansions and improvements over the next few decades, especially in respect of the internal fittings, which are very elaborate for a synagogue. Electric lighting was installed in 1892, making it the first electrically-lit synagogue in Britain. Although the Jewish community in the city numbered 4,000 by 2004, the Middle Street synagogue fell out of regular use at that time, although it is still opened regularly for educational and architectural tours of the interior, especially during the annual Brighton Festival
. Urgent structural repairs, including a new roof, were required by that time. A combination of fundraising concerts, auctions and a grant of several hundred thousand pounds from the government agency English Heritage
enabled restoration work to take place. The building is presently undergoing extensive renovation works and tours will re-commence in the latter part of 2009.
Middle Street Synagogue was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
on 20 August 1971. This status is given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures in the city of Brighton and Hove.
.
The exterior, which was executed in pale Sussex brick by the builders George Cheesman and son, is in an eclectic blend of Italian Renaissance and Neo-Byzantine Revival
styles. The west-facing elevation to Middle Street uses yellow bricks in an English bond pattern, while the other walls are of brown brick. The arched windows are surmounted by contrasting red and blue tiles, and are flanked by red coloured columns. There is a large rose window
in the west-facing frontage. The façade consists of five bays, alternately projecting and recessed; on the ground floor the layout of windows (protected since the 1960s with translucent safety panels) is two in each end bay and one each in the two recessed bays, with the wooden entrance door on the centre bay (between two pink columns with ornamented capitals
). On the first floor, the eight windows are arranged in pairs on the three projecting bays, with one in each of the recesses.
Sharman Kadish
remarks that "Nothing prepares the visitor for the sumptuousness of Middle Street's interior." There are ladies' galleries on three sides, held up by cast-iron columns decorated with imitation marble-effect paintwork with gilded metalwork capitals depicting plants, fruit, flowers and crops from the Middle East region. Thomas Lainson's design for the interior followed the Neo-Byzantine Revival
style, . The building takes the form of a basilica
. There are ladies' galleries on three sides, held up by cast-iron columns decorated with imitation marble-effect paintwork. the capitals are fashioned of hammered copper and iron, each one is individually worked to show a different one of the species of plants, fruit, flowers and crops from the Land of Israel.
The particularly decorative and ornate interior, funded by the generosity of the Sassoon family and visitors from outside Brighton, was built mostly of iron, but the surfaces that meet the eye are lavishly stenciled, gilded, or made of brass, marble, and mosaics.. The Torah Ark sits on a marble-stepped dais
in the centre of the apse
, below an arch supported by elaborate columns. It is top-lit via a stained glass half-dome. The surrounding rails, menorah and pulpit
are all brass. There is late-19th century stained glass in all of the windows, much of it by Campbell & Smith.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in the centre of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, part of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
city of Brighton and Hove. It was the centre for Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
worship in Brighton and Hove for more than a century, and has been called Brighton's second most important historic building. Although it is not presently in full-time use, the building is still open at certain times, and services are still held at certain times of the year. It has been listed at Grade II*, reflecting its architectural and historic importance.
History
A Jewish community existed in the Brighton area for nearly a century before Middle Street synagogue was built in 1874. A BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n settler, Emanuel Hyam Cohen, established a Jewish school on the seafront in the 1780s and a place of worship between 1789 and 1792. The latter moved from Jew Street (off Bond Street) to West Street in 1808, but there is no record of the nature of the buildings; meetings may in fact have taken place in private houses. The Brighton Regency Synagogue
Brighton Regency Synagogue
The Brighton Regency Synagogue is a former synagogue in Brighton noted for the elegance of its Regency architecture. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building....
was built in 1823 on land leased from a hotel, and enlarged by David Mocatta
David Mocatta
David Mocatta was a British architect and a member of the Anglo-Jewish Mocatta family.-Biography:Mocatta studied in London from 1821 to 1827 under Sir John Soane and travelled in Italy...
(architect of Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
, and member of the prominent Jewish Mocatta
Mocatta
Mocatta is the name of a prominent Anglo-Jewish family originally from Spain known for philanthropy, leadership and sponsorship of arts and letters, particularly in the United Kingdom...
family) in 1836. It was used until the new synagogue was opened in Middle Street in 1875. Situated on Devonshire Place, the stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed building in the Classical style
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
still stands; an inscription on the outside, including the Hebrew calendar
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar , or Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for Jewish holidays and the appropriate public reading of Torah portions, yahrzeits , and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses...
year of opening (5598), can still be seen on the entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
, but it is now in commercial use. The Chanukah menorah at the Middle Synagogue was brought from the Brighton Regency Synagogue.
Chief Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler
Nathan Marcus Adler
Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler was the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1845 until his death, probably the most prominent 19th century rabbi in the English-speaking world.-Life:...
attended the start of construction work in Middle Street on 19 November 1874. The architect, Thomas Lainson
Thomas Lainson
Thomas Lainson was a British architect. He is best known for his work in the East Sussex coastal towns of Brighton and Hove , where several of his eclectic range of residential, commercial and religious buildings have been awarded listed status by English Heritage...
, had been responsible for many buildings in Hove, including a Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
and the residential development on the Wick Farm estate, and also the Bristol Road Methodist Church
Bristol Road Methodist Church
Bristol Road Methodist Church is a former Methodist place of worship in the Kemptown area of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1873 to an Italian Romanesque Revival design, it served this part of eastern Brighton for more than a century until its closure in 1989,...
in Kemptown
Kemptown
Kemptown is a small community running along the King's Cliff to Black Rock in the east of Brighton, East Sussex, England.-History:The area takes its name from Thomas Read Kemp's Kemp Town residential estate of the early 19th Century, but the one-word name now refers to an area larger than the...
. After ten months of work at a cost of £12,000 (£ as of ), the dedication ceremony took place on 23 September 1875 and the synagogue was opened. Its capacity of 300 was six times higher than that of its predecessor.
The Sassoon family
Sassoon family
The Sassoon family was an Indian family of Iraqi Jewish descent and international renown, based in Bombay, India. It was descended from the famous Ibn Shoshans, one of the richest families of medieval Spain...
, a wealthy Jewish dynasty with links to Brighton and Hove, funded various expansions and improvements over the next few decades, especially in respect of the internal fittings, which are very elaborate for a synagogue. Electric lighting was installed in 1892, making it the first electrically-lit synagogue in Britain. Although the Jewish community in the city numbered 4,000 by 2004, the Middle Street synagogue fell out of regular use at that time, although it is still opened regularly for educational and architectural tours of the interior, especially during the annual Brighton Festival
Brighton Festival
The Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
. Urgent structural repairs, including a new roof, were required by that time. A combination of fundraising concerts, auctions and a grant of several hundred thousand pounds from the government agency English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
enabled restoration work to take place. The building is presently undergoing extensive renovation works and tours will re-commence in the latter part of 2009.
Middle Street Synagogue was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 20 August 1971. This status is given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures in the city of Brighton and Hove.
Architecture
The synagogue has been described as Brighton's second most important historic building, behind the Royal PavilionRoyal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in three campaigns, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, from 1811 Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion...
.
The exterior, which was executed in pale Sussex brick by the builders George Cheesman and son, is in an eclectic blend of Italian Renaissance and Neo-Byzantine Revival
Neo-Byzantine architecture
The Byzantine Revival was an architectural revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It emerged in 1840s in Western Europe and peaked in the last quarter of 19th century in the Russian Empire; an isolated Neo-Byzantine school was active in Yugoslavia...
styles. The west-facing elevation to Middle Street uses yellow bricks in an English bond pattern, while the other walls are of brown brick. The arched windows are surmounted by contrasting red and blue tiles, and are flanked by red coloured columns. There is a large rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
in the west-facing frontage. The façade consists of five bays, alternately projecting and recessed; on the ground floor the layout of windows (protected since the 1960s with translucent safety panels) is two in each end bay and one each in the two recessed bays, with the wooden entrance door on the centre bay (between two pink columns with ornamented capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
). On the first floor, the eight windows are arranged in pairs on the three projecting bays, with one in each of the recesses.
Sharman Kadish
Sharman Kadish
Sharman Kadish is a contemporary scholar, author, and historian with particular expertise in Jewish British history and with several publications under her name. Of particular note is her monograph, Bolsheviks and British Jews...
remarks that "Nothing prepares the visitor for the sumptuousness of Middle Street's interior." There are ladies' galleries on three sides, held up by cast-iron columns decorated with imitation marble-effect paintwork with gilded metalwork capitals depicting plants, fruit, flowers and crops from the Middle East region. Thomas Lainson's design for the interior followed the Neo-Byzantine Revival
Neo-Byzantine architecture
The Byzantine Revival was an architectural revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It emerged in 1840s in Western Europe and peaked in the last quarter of 19th century in the Russian Empire; an isolated Neo-Byzantine school was active in Yugoslavia...
style, . The building takes the form of a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. There are ladies' galleries on three sides, held up by cast-iron columns decorated with imitation marble-effect paintwork. the capitals are fashioned of hammered copper and iron, each one is individually worked to show a different one of the species of plants, fruit, flowers and crops from the Land of Israel.
The particularly decorative and ornate interior, funded by the generosity of the Sassoon family and visitors from outside Brighton, was built mostly of iron, but the surfaces that meet the eye are lavishly stenciled, gilded, or made of brass, marble, and mosaics.. The Torah Ark sits on a marble-stepped dais
Dais
Dais is any raised platform located either in or outside of a room or enclosure, often for dignified occupancy, as at the front of a lecture hall or sanctuary....
in the centre of the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, below an arch supported by elaborate columns. It is top-lit via a stained glass half-dome. The surrounding rails, menorah and pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
are all brass. There is late-19th century stained glass in all of the windows, much of it by Campbell & Smith.
External links
- Brighton & Hove Hebrew Congregation on Jewish Communities and Records - UK (hosted by jewishgen.org).
- Virtual links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTzIr46wxRI&feature=related