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INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN UK

The earliest records of Jewish migration to England can be traced back to the Norman Invasion of 1066, after which William I began a tradition of inviting prominent Jewish figures to support and fund English kings. By the late 1200s, there were significant Jewish communities across England; however, this time also saw hostility, restrictions, and policies of segregation imposed on these communities, culminating in Jewish expulsion and the suppression of Jewish practices. Although communities continued to exist, particularly those of Portuguese and Spanish Jews who had fled Spanish kingdoms, official acceptance did not occur until the English civil war. Spanish and Portuguese refugees continued to settle in England until the 18th century, during which time the Bevis Marks Synagogue was erected; this synagogue is the oldest in England, and the only one in Europe which has continuously served the community for over 300 years. [1]

The 1800s saw the rise of communities which [2] considered themselves British Jews, as opposed to German or Portuguese; this was reflected in the erection of the West London Synagogue to serve this community. In the latter half of this century, pogroms in Russia, Poland, and Germany brought a new wave of Eastern European and Yiddish migration to the UK. By 1919, the Jewish population numbered 250,000.

ABOUT JUDAISM & UNITED SYNAGOGUE

The United Synagogue (US) was established in 1870 through the union of five Ashkenazi synagogues; it was and remains the largest Jewish religious organisation. At the time, Willesden was the centre of Jewish life in north-west London. [1] The Willesden Jewish Cemetery was the first collaborative project of the United Synagogue, created as an amenity for the German and Dutch Jews emigrating to London, and the US purchased twelve acres of sheep grazing land from All Soul’s College, Oxford, to complete it. Initially, only five acres were used; this area is now known as the Old Cemetery.[2] W hen the cemetery first opened in 1873, the community wanted to highlight their English heritage; to this end, the cemetery was designed to reflect the styles of the time, and was inspired by the garden cemeteries at Kensal Green and Highgate. [3] It was initially intended to serve London’s most established Anglo-Jewish communities, including those who originally purchased the site. These included the families of the Rothschilds, the Montagus, the Waley-Cohens, and the Beddingtons, whose lavish tombs can be seen today.

The Old Cemetery contains the earliest and many of the most elaborate memorials, including the graves of many famous historical figures such as Rabbi Adler , members of the Rothschild banking dynasty, pre-Raphaelite artist Simeon Solomon, bandleader Geraldo, Tesco co-founder Sir Jacob ‘Jack’ Cohen , and scientist Rosalind Franklin, whose pioneering work contributed to discovery of the structure of DNA .

Today, Willesden Jewish Cemetery is London’s foremost Victorian Jewish cemetery with over 29,800 graves .[4]

Architect Nathan Solomon Joseph (1834-1909) designed the cemetery buildings in the style of the Gothic Revival, a highly fashionable architectural style at the time that rose in England and incorporated the pointed arches and rich decorative aspects of the Gothic architecture of the Middle Ages that inspired it. Joseph, first generation Anglo-Jewish himself, eventually came to be buried at the Cemetery.

[3]

The cemetery buildings include a central Prayer Hall or ‘ohel,’, which receives the coffin and mourners; a Cohanim Room, for ritual purity of the Cohamin; and a Mortuary, or ‘bet taharah ’. T he Assembly Hall was added to the Prayer Hall in 1929 to provide a space for mourners to gather, and was designed by Harry Wharton Ford.[5] These buildings have remained largely unchanged externally after this last addition in 1929.

The buildings are composed of local materials usually used in the construction of religious and public buildings at the time, including Kentish ragstone, red Mansfield sandstone, and Bath stone. Bath stone is a ‘freestone’, meaning it can be cut in any direction and has therefore often been used for fine or ornate work, particularly in the construction of [4] churches and mansions. The buildings of the cemetery as it stands today also retain their original windows, complete with cathedral glass and diamond leading. As new buildings were added, they were designed to fit harmoniously with existing constructions; however, the roof of the Assembly Hall is sprocketed with wide eaves rather than pitched, giving it an air of the Arts and Crafts architectural movement popular in the late 19th century.[5] [6] The Arts and Crafts movement was an influential movement of the late 19th century which attempted to re-establish the skills of craftsmanship threatened by mass production and industrialisation. One of its main proponents was British textile designer turned poet and novelist William Morris.

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Within the cemetery, elements of design unusual for Jewish cemeteries such as torches, urns, broken columns indicating a life cut short, and other Victorian funerary symbols and decoration indicate the rise of a unique British-Jewish culture. [7] [6]

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A n additional ten and a half acres of land was purchased from All Souls college in 1906, to accommodate an extension of the burial grounds. The main entrance was moved in 1909-10, the original lodge demolished, and a new lodge constructed by the entrance in a Queen Anne Revival style[7] [8] [9] [10] . The overhanging eaves are a typical example of this style.

T he complex of funerary buildings, comprising the three buildings surrounding the Willesden Jewish Cemetery Prayer Hall, became Grade II listed in 2017, affording them greater protection to safeguard the site for future generations. The Cemetery also contains three Grade II listed tombs and burial enclosures, including the tomb of Max Eberstadt (1891); the tomb of Rosalind Franklin (1958);and the tombs and burial enclosures of Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild (1874), Juliana de Rothschild (1877), and Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery (1890[11] ).

In January 2018, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Willesden Jewish Cemetery a £1.7 million Grant towards their conservation and community engagement project. The heritage project, the ‘House of Life’, includes a visitor centre with regular exhibitions and garden areas. As part of the conservation project, work commenced in early 2019 with the restoration of the old iron gates, followed by repairs to the Lodge , central building, and Grade II listed Prayer Hall and Portico. In January 2020, the United Synagogue celebrated the 150th Anniversary year of its founding in 1870[12] , with many new exhibits and events surrounding the cemetery as the burial place of US founding president, Sir Anthony de Rothschild.

The ‘Magnificent Seven’ refers to a collection of beautiful cemeteries throughout London that exhibit grand Victorian architecture in the construction of their buildings and monuments. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, combining classic Victorian tastes [13] from the range of styles popular at different stages of its construction, including Gothic Revival, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne Revival, can justly be considered the Eighth

Futher Reading:

[1] “An Introduction to Willesden Jewish Cemetery”, perf. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, 9 June 2020. YouTube. Web. 1 Mar. 2021.

[2] “Complex of Funerary Buildings at Willesden Jewish Cemetery (United Synagogue Cemetery).”

[3] “An Introduction to Willesden Jewish Cemetery”, perf. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, 9 June 2020.

[4] “Complex of Funerary Buildings at Willesden Jewish Cemetery (United Synagogue Cemetery): A Grade II Listed Building in Willesden Green, Brent,” Willesden Green Ward, British Listed Buildings [n.d.].

[5] “Complex of Funerary Buildings at Willesden Jewish Cemetery (United Synagogue Cemetery): A Grade II Listed Building in Willesden Green, Brent.”

[6] Suzanne Waters, “Arts and Crafts: an architectural style guide,” British Architectural Library, RIBA, 1 Jan. 2017.

[7] “An Introduction to Willesden Jewish Cemetery”, perf. Willesden Jewish Cemetery, 9 June 2020.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/jews-and-jewish-communities-18th-20th-centuries/

http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item103483.html

https://www.wls.org.uk/our-history

https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/gothic

https://www.ianknapper.com/bath-stone-brief-history/

Any specific features that can be attributed to Arts&Craft style? See Joys’ Intro Article. Gothic Revival and Arts & Crafts appeared around the same time supporting a similar design aesthetic (ie. Individuality, Englishness etc) Useful reference: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/architecture/

I would remove this- repetitive and speculative about motivations

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1448718

I’ve just lifted this, so needs some rewording.

Can we expand on what the Queen Anne Revival style a little here?

Photo needed--- very interesting confusion over what ‘queen anne style’ constitutes

Diversity in Queen Anne Revival style- influence of pattern books

Identify Queen Anne in the actual building?

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1449845

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1444176

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1449844

https://www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk/news-listing/project-timeline

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/architecture/

What are some of these architectural tastes and accents?