Sunderland Synagogue
Encyclopedia
The Sunderland Synagogue is a former synagogue building in Sunderland, England.
The synagogue, on Ryhope Road (Hendon), was designed by architect Marcus Kenneth Glass and completed in 1928. The synagogue was listed as a Grade II historic structure in 1999. The congregation ceased meeting in 2006. The building is owned by a Jewish charitable trust which offered the building for sale or lease in 2009.
Architectural historian Sharman Kadish
describes the synagogue's colorful design as a blend of Byzantine revival and "cinematic art deco style." The exterior is an Art Deco
interpretation of Byzantine style, with an oversized, arched entrance, paired arched doorways, polychrome brickwork and Basket capitals.
Kadish describes the interior as "spanned by a deep barrel vault over the central aisle, which was originally painted to imitate a star-spangled sky. The gallery runs around three sides carried on slender iron columns with palmette capitals. The plasterwork Ark canopy is highly decorative, painted and gilded. It is classical in form but features decoration of Islamic and Byzantine origin, especially the cushion capitals to the columns and the chevron patterns on the shafts ..."
The synagogue, on Ryhope Road (Hendon), was designed by architect Marcus Kenneth Glass and completed in 1928. The synagogue was listed as a Grade II historic structure in 1999. The congregation ceased meeting in 2006. The building is owned by a Jewish charitable trust which offered the building for sale or lease in 2009.
Architectural historian 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...
describes the synagogue's colorful design as a blend of Byzantine revival and "cinematic art deco style." The exterior is an Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
interpretation of Byzantine style, with an oversized, arched entrance, paired arched doorways, polychrome brickwork and Basket capitals.
Kadish describes the interior as "spanned by a deep barrel vault over the central aisle, which was originally painted to imitate a star-spangled sky. The gallery runs around three sides carried on slender iron columns with palmette capitals. The plasterwork Ark canopy is highly decorative, painted and gilded. It is classical in form but features decoration of Islamic and Byzantine origin, especially the cushion capitals to the columns and the chevron patterns on the shafts ..."
External links
- Sunderland Hebrew Congregation on Jewish Communities and Records - UK (hosted by jewishgen.org).