AS Britain’s oldest purpose-built synagogue still in use, Bevis Marks has a unique place in Jewish history (Fig 1). It is known as the ‘great old Cathedral synagogue’ and the inscription over its entrance gives its Hebrew name as the ‘Holy Congregation The Gate of Heaven’. But it is generally known by the name of the City of London street on which it stands, historically held by the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds with the name Bevis Marks—recorded as ‘Bewesmerkes’ in 1407.
Hidden from the street, Bevis Marks synagogue stands very much as it was completed in 1701—although much has changed around it and, sad to report, new development proposals on Creechurch Lane and Bury Street threaten to overshadow it. The synagogue was designed in an architectural style that echoes the Anglican churches built by the Wren office during the 1670s and 1680s. It was built for the Sephardi community; Jewish peoples and their descendants, who lived on the Iberian peninsula until they were expelled by the Spanish monarchs in 1492, making the Sephardi distinct from the Ashkenazi communities of German, French, Polish, Eastern European and Russian descent. The synagogue remains one of the places of worship associated with the Sephardi S&P (Spanish and Portuguese) community, in addition to the 1896 neo-Byzantine synagogue on Lauderdale Road in Maida Vale; Bevis Marks is also much valued by the wider Jewish world.
Denne historien er fra September 08, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra September 08, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
