Time capsule found in wall at synagogue
BUILDERS RENOVATING JEWISH MUSEUM FIND HISTORIC ARTEFACT IN WALL CAVITY
BUILDERS working on renovations on the Manchester Jewish Museum building have discovered a 150-year-old time capsule buried within its historic synagogue walls.
A glass jar, which remains intact thanks to a wax seal, was found hidden deep within a wall cavity in the cornerstone of the original museum building situated on Cheetham Hill Road.
The rare find is filled with money, synagogue papers and newspapers dating back to the 1870s.
Experts at the museum now believe the artefact was buried around the same time after finding documented mentions of it within their archives.
The Manchester Jewish Museum is currently undergoing a £5m development project that will see the site doubled in size thanks to a new extension building.
The museum is situated on the site of a former Spanish and Portuguese synagogue founded by textile merchants in 1873 and is now the oldest synagogue building in Manchester.
The time capsule was discovered over the summer as construction work took place to repair and restore the Grade II* listed synagogue.
Adam Brown, 37, has been working as a builder on the site since last August and was one of the first people to find the historic jar.
“In the actual synagogue, there was a plaque on the wall that we needed to remove,” Adam tells the M.E.N of the discovery. “When we discovered it was made of stone, we had to get the stonemasons to help us and it took about six people to remove it.
“It required a lot of drilling work to take the plaque out of the wall so we were really lucky that it all came out in one piece.
“The plaque was about half a meter thick and the centre of it had been carved out and filled with a pocket of sand and that’s where we found the buried jar.”
Adam, who works for H.H. Smith and Sons co., said he had never discovered anything like it before.
“It was all quite an exciting moment,” he added. “After we discovered it, we went from about six lads to about ten all crowded around wondering what was going on. Being one of the first people to see it in over 150 year is quite a surreal experience.”
Staff at the museum are now aiming for the capsule to be part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Manchester Jewish Museum expected to reopen in Spring 2021. is