Plymouth Synagogue, Plymouth
Jewish immigrants arrived in Plymouth in the 1700s from the Germanic lands and the Netherlands. The Ashkenazi community of Plymouth built its synagogue there in 1762. The Plymouth Synagogue continues to serve its congregation today as the oldest extant Ashkenazi synagogue in the English-speaking world.
The founding community was mainly members of the very extended Emden family. They were planning their synagogue in 1758. In 1762 building land lease was signed by Samuel Champion, a non-Jew, since leases signed by Jews were not legal. The congregation bought the land outright in 1834.
There are no records of the architect's name who designed the synagogue. It is assumed that the rectangular, pitched-roof structure was designed and erected by a local master builder. The building is plain, made of whitewashed brick, and covered with a roof of grey slate. The synagogue seems to be hidden, which is likely. The building looks quite like a nonconformist Protestant church.
An adjacent building of 1874 houses several synagogue offices. A white-tiled ritual bath (mikveh) is next to the vestry. The interior is plain except for the Torah Ark, the chamber for the sacred scrolls. The Ark is an ornate structure two stories high. It has Corinthian fluted columns, a pediment with finials, and urns in gold.
The Ten Commandments, in gold leaf on a blue background, adorn the second-story cornice. The Torah Ark is a free-standing structure imported from Holland and assembled in Plymouth.
The founding community was mainly members of the very extended Emden family. They were planning their synagogue in 1758. In 1762 building land lease was signed by Samuel Champion, a non-Jew, since leases signed by Jews were not legal. The congregation bought the land outright in 1834.
There are no records of the architect's name who designed the synagogue. It is assumed that the rectangular, pitched-roof structure was designed and erected by a local master builder. The building is plain, made of whitewashed brick, and covered with a roof of grey slate. The synagogue seems to be hidden, which is likely. The building looks quite like a nonconformist Protestant church.
An adjacent building of 1874 houses several synagogue offices. A white-tiled ritual bath (mikveh) is next to the vestry. The interior is plain except for the Torah Ark, the chamber for the sacred scrolls. The Ark is an ornate structure two stories high. It has Corinthian fluted columns, a pediment with finials, and urns in gold.
The Ten Commandments, in gold leaf on a blue background, adorn the second-story cornice. The Torah Ark is a free-standing structure imported from Holland and assembled in Plymouth.
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Plymouth Synagogue on Map
Sight Name: Plymouth Synagogue
Sight Location: Plymouth, England (See walking tours in Plymouth)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Plymouth, England (See walking tours in Plymouth)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Plymouth, England
Create Your Own Walk in Plymouth
Creating your own self-guided walk in Plymouth is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Plymouth Introduction Walking Tour
Plymouth's early history began in the Bronze Age when the first settlement emerged at Mount Batten. It is mentioned in Ptolemy's Geographia as a maritime outpost exporting bronze mirrors.
The settlement was a major port in the southwest of England in Roman times. It was surpassed as a port in the ninth century by the nearby wealthier village of Sutton, later called Plymouth.
... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
The settlement was a major port in the southwest of England in Roman times. It was surpassed as a port in the ninth century by the nearby wealthier village of Sutton, later called Plymouth.
... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Plymouth Hoe Walking Tour
Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south-facing open public space in Plymouth with commanding views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and further afield into Cornwall. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word hoh, which means a sloping ridge shaped like an inverted foot and heel.
This part of town has always been a meeting place, where people would come regularly... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.7 Km or 0.4 Miles
This part of town has always been a meeting place, where people would come regularly... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.7 Km or 0.4 Miles
Pilgrim Fathers Trail
Back in the early 17th century, a group of English Puritans – nowadays reverently referred to as the Pilgrim Fathers – fled religious persecution in their homeland and established a colony in North America that later became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims embarked on their perilous journey across the Atlantic from Plymouth, England in 1620 aboard a ship called the Mayflower,... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.5 Km or 0.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.5 Km or 0.3 Miles