# The Jewish house of prayer September 2015



## Lavino (Sep 13, 2015)

myself @woopashoopaa @telf1980 @dangle_angle @The Kwan and Emma all met to do another location but decided to leave it for another day and headed over to the synagogue. After first entering a outer building with the door to the main hall sealed scouted around to find another successful entry point and if you like wood this is the place for you. Here's some history and on with some pics of the day...



The Greenbank Drive Synagogue was built in 1936/7 and is the work of the notable Liverpool architect Sir Ernest Alfred Shennan. Most of his other work is also in Merseyside and comprises a diversity of building types. His inter-war designs included Westminster Banks; five cinemas including the listed Forum Cinema on Lime Street, Liverpool; restaurant interiors (The French Café and Arabic Café, both 1933, Liverpool); dance halls (The Grafton Rooms, Liverpool, 1934); hotels and office blocks. Greenbank Drive is Shennan’s only synagogue and is very different to the rest of his oeuvre up to that time which, apart from the banks, was distinctive art deco.
































































To put this building in context: in the first half of the 20th century, Anglo Jewry did not enthusiastically adopt international modern architecture for its new synagogues and community buildings. (This is in dramatic contrast to Jewish Community buildings in Palestine and the emergent State of Israel during the 30’s and 40’s, which produced the most extensive legacy of modern movement buildings anywhere.) Owen William’s Dollis Hill Synagogue (1936, now mutilated) was the only genuinely modern movement synagogue. 



Though there are some impressive deco influenced synagogues dating from the late 1920s, they are all to some degree exercises in historicism, often combined with exoticism. (See for example the splendid Byzantine art deco of the former Leeds New Synagogue, now the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, 1938 by J Stanley Wright and Clay.)

Greenbank Drive is very different as in its design Shennan produced a synthesis of his previous art deco style and other modern architectural tendencies. It directly reflects Swedish architectural influences, both in the exterior of the building, which is clearly inspired by the late fruition of the Swedish national romantic style, and in its interior, which draws on contemporary Swedish functionalism. In consequence, Greenbank stands alone as a synagogue which is really significant in terms of the progressive architecture of its time. Although clearly not ‘international modern’, it was a genuine attempt at a new architecture appropriate for a modern synagogue, and succeeds in these terms. We are for once looking forward, not back to an exotic past.

The Synagogue has a re-inforced concrete and steel frame structure, with the external walls faced in ‘golden brown’ hand cut bricks. There is a grand approach to the west front entrance up two flights of shallow steps, with curved concrete balustrades. The west front has a three bay projecting entrance, with three semi-circular headed double curved brick arches supported on circular brick piers. (This composition draws directly on the influence of Ivar Tengbom’s Hogalids Church in Stockholm.)


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## smiler (Sep 13, 2015)

Outstanding report and fantastic pics, I enjoyed it immensely, Many Thanks.


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## Lavino (Sep 13, 2015)

Here's a little video I made while there...


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## ironsky (Sep 13, 2015)

A beautiful building lets hope it can be reused.


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## HughieD (Sep 14, 2015)

Fantastic set. What an architecturally interesting place.


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## flyboys90 (Sep 14, 2015)

The architecture is stunning here.Cracking report and images.


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## Rubex (Sep 14, 2015)

I really like the Time of Services picture! What an interesting explore. Great photos as always Lavino


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## TheNarrator (Sep 14, 2015)

Wonderful report  though I can't say I'm a fan of the architecture myself. I'm unfamiliar with synagogues but the ceiling inside seems very bland for a place of worship and externally I feel there could have been much more grandeur


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## krela (Sep 14, 2015)

TheNarrator said:


> Wonderful report  though I can't say I'm a fan of the architecture myself. I'm unfamiliar with synagogues but the ceiling inside seems very bland for a place of worship and externally I feel there could have been much more grandeur



I find it both amusing and odd that you find it okay to analyse a building's architectural suitability for purpose based on (self-admitted) zero knowledge. How does that even work?! Particularly when there is extensive information about it's architecture and historical basis included in the report!


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## TheNarrator (Sep 14, 2015)

krela said:


> I find it both amusing and odd that you find it okay to analyse a building's architectural suitability for purpose based on (self-admitted) zero knowledge. How does that even work?! Particularly when there is extensive information about it's architecture and historical basis included in the report!



I don't see what's wrong with giving my opinion on the architecture of a building? I said it seemed bland for a place of worship, not that of a synagogue. My fullest apologies, Sir Krela, for giving my opinion. The historical background has nothing to do with what I said, so please reformulate your argument against my views. Considering you didn't even voice your opinion on your report I can't see why mine is a problem. How is me saying I dislike the architecture any different to someone else saying they love it?


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## krela (Sep 14, 2015)

There is nothing wrong with stating your opinion, I just said that I found it amusing and odd, which I do.


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## TheNarrator (Sep 14, 2015)

krela said:


> There is nothing wrong with stating your opinion, I just said that I found it amusing and odd, which I do.



I still don't see the need to attempt publically ridicule me. Isn't bullying one thing that isn't allowed on this forum, and aren't you the administrator? Isn't public humiliation a form of bullying? Just my opinion.


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## smiler (Sep 14, 2015)

TheNarrator said:


> I still don't see the need to attempt publically ridicule me. Isn't bullying one thing that isn't allowed on this forum, and aren't you the administrator? Isn't public humiliation a form of bullying? Just my opinion.



I don't feel that there's been any attempt to humiliate you, to be honest I was quite enjoying your spat with krela, you gave your opinion of the Synagogue and krela disagreed with you. You are right though, bullying isn't allowed.


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## krela (Sep 14, 2015)

If that's the way you want to take it then that's up to you, it wasn't intended at such. 

To try and be clearer, to me your post isn't so much saying "It's not my cup of tea architecturally", it is saying "I think this building is substandard as a place of worship, it needs this, this and this", which isn't the same thing. One I find perfectly fair and reasonable, the other I don't, particularly given a lack of knowledge of what a synagogue is as a place of worship.

I'm talking entirely personally here, not as an admin telling you what you can and can't say. Perhaps I've misunderstood you, but to me that's how it comes across, which I do find odd.


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## TheNarrator (Sep 14, 2015)

krela said:


> If that's the way you want to take it then that's up to you, it wasn't intended at such.
> 
> To try and be clearer, to me your post isn't so much saying "It's not my cup of tea architecturally", it is saying "I think this building is substandard as a place of worship, it needs this, this and this", which isn't the same thing. One I find perfectly fair and reasonable, the other I don't, particularly given a lack of knowledge of what a synagogue is as a place of worship.
> 
> I'm talking entirely personally here, not as an admin telling you what you can and can't say. Perhaps I've misunderstood you, but to me that's how it comes across, which I do find odd.



I see your point, although you could have taken a less stern approach. 

In my original comment I was trying to say that whilst I don't know about synagogues, seeing as this is a place of worship it is lacking any grandeur which you usually see in places of worship. Such as in Cathedrals. Externally it looks more of an industrial building. I didn't imply it was substandard, but usually at a place of worship of this size you tend (though evidently not always, and clearly not in this architectural theme/era) to see more of an impressive showcase of architecture. Which would, indeed, look better than this building. 

Apologies, Lavino, for distracting from a well written report - thank you for all the information you gathered for this post


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## UrbanX (Sep 14, 2015)

Glad to se its still loking alright in there, I half expected it to be trashed beyond belief. 
Thanks for sharing


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## Mikeymutt (Sep 15, 2015)

Internally this place was breathtaking..I was not really that bothered about going here..but when I did the place took my breath away.the solid wood everywhere was a joy to behold.and we spent so long at Katies we were running out of time here so we did not have as long here as I wanted too.and if there is one place I would love to revisit it is certainly the ark..maybe a northern weekend coming up for me soon.great report there really enjoyed seeing this gem again.


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## Lavino (Sep 15, 2015)

Thanks for the comments guys


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## Dicey (Sep 27, 2015)

Awesome day had here mate..well done (Dangle)


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## TranKmasT (Sep 30, 2015)

If you don't mind me asking why didn't you just call it Greenbank synagogue in the title? You've given it the correct title on 28DL. It's no secret anymore.


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