A London synagogue was awarded English National Heritage Site status.
The New West End Synagogue, built in 1879, was a historically listed property, but with its new national monument status, the government will now be responsible for the building’s upkeep. Also, the congregation and local community can request funding for necessary renovations.
The new status puts the synagogue on par with other national heritage sites such as Big Ben, Stonehenge and the Houses of Parliament.
In the written status upgrade decision Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage said, “The New West End Synagogue is the architectural highwater mark of Anglo-Jewish architecture.”
Britain’s first synagogue, the Bevis Marks Synagogue, which was built in 1701 on London’s East End, is the only other British synagogue to have received National Heritage status.
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