BHOD 13 - Middle Street Synagogue

Description - In 1874, a project for a new synagogue in Brighton was put out to tender. It was won by Thomas Lainson, a well-known local architect and the new synagogue opened in 1875. The exterior has been described as both Byzantine and Romanesque and looks slightly out of place in its side street home. The interior was described by Anthony Dale as amongst the most splendid synagogue interiors in Europe, it certainly is quite spectacular. It was originally fairly plain, but between 1880-1915, donations gradually furnished the building with wrought iron, brass work and stained glass. The building has recently been nominated for the European Routes of Jewish Heritage as one of Britain's Top Ten Synagogues.