The visit
Visited with @BrainL - We tried to get into this building a few months back when it had apparently been recently sealed with the steel shutters over every window, but were unsuccessful as it was locked up tight. After taking another look recently, we found our way in an enjoyed an hour or so inside before heading off.
The building is still in fairly good condition although the upper tier seats are a little worse for wearer and the floor around those sections is a little unsafe as I nearly fell through one section
The history
(Copy/paste from another thread)
Greenbank synagogue was built in 1936 to a design by architect Alfred Ernest Shennan and consecrated on August 15,1937. It became a refuge for homeless families in the Blitz. This historic city synagogue which tclosed after 70 years has been saved for future generations.
The building on Greenbank Drive, Sefton Park, shut for good on January 8 after its congregation dwindled to fewer than 40, with only one service being held a week but its survival is now assured after its listed building status was upgraded to Grade II*, putting it on a par with Croxteth Hall and the Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings.
English Heritage agreed the change after a plan emerged to convert the concrete, steel and brick building into apartments. The organisation’s report described the synagogue as “one of the finest art deco synagogues in the country”. It added: “It has an important socio-historic significance as an inter-war synagogue of 1936-7 that represents one of the last free cultural expressions of European Jewry before the Holocaust.”
The upgrading from grade II to II* status puts the former synagogue in the top 5% of all listed buildings in the country. Cllr Berni Turner, executive member for heritage, said: “This upgrading reflects the wide range of important and diverse buildings we have in the city and the fact we have a unique collection of places of worship for people of all faiths".
The Photos
Visited with @BrainL - We tried to get into this building a few months back when it had apparently been recently sealed with the steel shutters over every window, but were unsuccessful as it was locked up tight. After taking another look recently, we found our way in an enjoyed an hour or so inside before heading off.
The building is still in fairly good condition although the upper tier seats are a little worse for wearer and the floor around those sections is a little unsafe as I nearly fell through one section
The history
(Copy/paste from another thread)
Greenbank synagogue was built in 1936 to a design by architect Alfred Ernest Shennan and consecrated on August 15,1937. It became a refuge for homeless families in the Blitz. This historic city synagogue which tclosed after 70 years has been saved for future generations.
The building on Greenbank Drive, Sefton Park, shut for good on January 8 after its congregation dwindled to fewer than 40, with only one service being held a week but its survival is now assured after its listed building status was upgraded to Grade II*, putting it on a par with Croxteth Hall and the Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings.
English Heritage agreed the change after a plan emerged to convert the concrete, steel and brick building into apartments. The organisation’s report described the synagogue as “one of the finest art deco synagogues in the country”. It added: “It has an important socio-historic significance as an inter-war synagogue of 1936-7 that represents one of the last free cultural expressions of European Jewry before the Holocaust.”
The upgrading from grade II to II* status puts the former synagogue in the top 5% of all listed buildings in the country. Cllr Berni Turner, executive member for heritage, said: “This upgrading reflects the wide range of important and diverse buildings we have in the city and the fact we have a unique collection of places of worship for people of all faiths".
The Photos