Constructed in 1879 in St. Petersburgh Place, London, the New West End Synagogue represents one of the city’s oldest and most beautiful Jewish temples. It accommodates up to 800 people and Historic England used to describe the edifice as “the architectural high-water mark of Anglo-Jewish architecture”. Indeed, this awe-inspiring, Grade One Listed Building, impresses its visitors instantaneously when they approach a hallway of towering arches supported by golden columns. Circular marble steps then lead to the Torahs’ ark, which sits on a raised platform. Looking above, a circular, ornamented window, lets light in from the heavens. The New West End Synagogue is the perfect “Hidden Gem” to visit while in London as it caters to a all ages and tastes with a expansive range of activities open to the public.
The New West End Synagogue is a work of art thanks to designers George Ashdown Audsley and William James Audsley. In creating the building, the architects drew from their experience in designing Protestant Churches, while incorporating elements of High Victorian Gothic Revival, and integrating Egyptian, Greek, Saracenic, and Hindu architectural styles. Leopold de Rothschild laid the synagogue’s foundation stone on June 7, 1877. Today, the British Orthodox synagogue welcomes visitors and continues to run regular services.
