The elegant Regency synagogue in Cheltenham, England, has received a grant of £11,500 to repair its roof, from the Listed Places of Worship: Roof Repair Fund. Two churches in Cheltenham also received grants.
The Gloucestershire Echo quoted Jenny Silverston, the chair of the Cheltenham Hebrew Congregation as saying water was coming in through the roof of the listed 19th century building.
She added: “We take the maintenance very seriously, every five years we get a specialist architect in, but we are so concerned at the state of the roof that we’ve brought his visit forward by a year, so this is very important to us. I would like to thank the conservation team at Cheltenham Borough Council which is very supportive.
Designed by the architect William Hill Knight, the synagogue was consecrated on 14th May 1839. According to the congregation’s web site, “The synagogue furniture, the pews, bimah and the Ark, was given to the Congregation by the New Synagogue in Leadenhall Street, London which was being dismantled before being rebuilt and enlarged. Dating from 1761, it is thus the oldest Ashkenazi furniture in Great Britain.”