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Summary

Description

James Miller, 1929-1932; interior of synagogue divided at gallery level by Dick Peddie and McKay in 1979. 2-storey, cruciform-plan synagogue and community centre with various additions to rear and detached caretaker's house; Byzantine style simplified into geometric form. Whitwick red and purple handmade Sandstock brick.

W (ENTRANCE) BLOCK: N ELEVATION: single bay; central, round-arched entrance; recessed, stone doorway with carved Hebrew script to lintel; herringbone brick above; 2-leaf, panelled door; single stained-glass, round-arched window to 1st floor above. Inscribed foundation stone to right. W ELEVATION: 5 bay with outer bays advanced; steps to central, round-arched entrance; recessed stone doorway with carved Hebrew lettering to lintel; 2-leaf, panelled door; 3-pane, obscure glass fanlight; single, stained-glass window to 1st floor above and to both floors in bays to outer left and right. Advanced outer bays with single windows at ground and recessed, round-arched windows at 1st floor. Architect's name inscribed on foundation stone to N.

E ELEVATION: blank wall.

LINKING BLOCK: 2-bay; deeply recessed; single windows at ground; single, round-arched, stained-glass windows to 1st floor above.

E BLOCK: N ELEVATION: 3-bay; single windows at ground; single round-arched, stained glass windows to 1st floor above. W ELEVATION: single window at ground. E ELEVATION: 5-bay, advanced central block; doorways to N and S; central 3 bays slightly advanced; central bay (choir) bowed to form semi-circular apse with half-dome above; single window at ground with large, stained-glass, round-arched window breaking eaves above; single windows in flanking bays.

S ELEVATION: various projections, some single and some 2-storey, to rear accommodating a smaller synagogue, classrooms, meeting rooms, kitchen, ritual bath (Mikveh), tabernacle (Sukkah) and offices.

CARETAKER'S HOUSE: detached house in grounds to rear of main building; 2-storey with single storey block attached.

SYNAGOGUE INTERIOR: (divided at gallery level 1989 to create community centre at ground; access to synagogue via 2 staircases at vestibule end) galleried seating to N, S and W; choir room in semi-circular apse behind wrought-iron and blue stained-glass screen to E; centrally positioned Ark (Aron Hakodesh) in front of screen; French walnut with gilded decoration and Hebrew lettering above; raised platform (bimah) in front of Ark with pulpit and free-standing candelabra (menorah); geometric-design painted iron railings with wooden handrails surrounding platform; simple raked seating to nave; central almemar with railings as before. All woodwork fittings Port-Orford cedar; oak seating. Flat roof with saucer dome above the crossing of former transept and the nave. Vestibule to W end of hall with corridor at S leading to meeting, prayer and class rooms. STAINED GLASS: various symbolic designs to main hall, predominantly pale blue in colour (national colour of Israel);

4 windows by William Wilson to vestibule executed 1957; symbolic themes including menorah and Star of David.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: low coped brick wall to street; original railings; 2 pairs of square-plan, brick gatepiers with plain stone caps and cast-iron lamp stands (lamps missing).

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building in use as such. The architects brief was to design a building prestigious enough to make a notable contribution to the architecture of Edinburgh and to provide a focal point for the City's Jewish community. The building took 15 months to complete: the foundation stone was laid 3 May 1931 by Viscount Bearsted and the building consecrated on 11 September 1932. The total cost was ?20,000.

References

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