Save Britain’s oldest synagogue’s view of the sky, historians urge

THE UK’S oldest synagogue is under renewed threat from encroaching developers, historians have said, as they urged the City of London to protect the site.

Bevis Marks synagogue, a Grade I listed building from 1701, survived the Blitz and two IRA bombs and is the only non-christian house of worship in the City.

In 2021, it was rescued from an “existential threat” after City of London councillors refused plans for a nearby skyscraper.

However, only weeks after adopting a new conservation area around the synagogue in Aldgate, the City of London is proposing a new local plan that congregants and campaigners fear will “undermine” that protection.

If the plan is adopted, tall buildings will no longer be banned in conservation areas. A coalition of historians, MPS, authors, peers and professors warn in The Telegraph today that “the view of the sky” from the synagogue must be protected. The 28 signatories include Sir Michael Bear, former Lord Mayor of London, the historians Prof Sir Simon Schama and Simon Sebagmontefiore, and former Master of the Rolls, The Rt Hon Lord Dyson.

The Baroness Neuberger DBE, Marie van der Zyl OBE, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and Howard Jacobson, the Booker-prize-winning author, are also signatories. Nickie Aiken, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, and Abigail Green, professor of modern European history at the University of Oxford, also put their name to the warning.

The group accused the City of “moving the goalposts”, saying that Bevis Marks was “Europe’s oldest continuously functioning synagogue and the single most important historic site for British Jews.

“The City’s failure to consider the religious and cultural dimensions of the synagogue will cause public outrage,” they added.

“It is not too late to do the right thing. We urge the City’s planning committee to incorporate an amendment protecting the view of the sky from Bevis Marks’ historic courtyard and including 31 Bury Street within its immediate setting.

“These changes are essential to preserve the synagogue as a living community for generations to come.” Shalom Morris, the Rabbi of Bevis Marks, who is also a signatory, accused officials of acting in an “underhanded” manner.

“Clearly they aren’t happy about the previous planning refusal or the new conservation area boundary and so they are attempting to change the planning rules to bring about their desired result. This is an abuse of power.”

The City of London was contacted for comment.

Sir – Bevis Marks in the City of London is Europe’s oldest continuously functioning synagogue and the single most important historic site for British Jews. That unique history nearly ended in 2021, when the planning department recommended approving a tall building at 31 Bury Street, overshadowing the secluded courtyard where the synagogue is situated, obstructing the view of the sky that is integral to its character, and blocking so much sunlight that the congregation would struggle to hold services. A massive public campaign prompted a change of heart.

Now the City has moved the goalposts. The new draft Local Plan pays lip service to protecting Bevis Marks, but the setting excludes 31 Bury Street, and the clause preventing tall buildings in conservation areas has quietly been removed. Meanwhile, the developer has submitted a new application for this highly contentious site. The City’s failure to consider the religious and cultural dimensions of the synagogue will cause outrage.

It is not too late to do the right thing. We urge the City’s planning committee to incorporate an amendment protecting the view of the sky from Bevis Marks’s historic courtyard and including 31 Bury Street within its immediate setting.

This is essential to preserve the synagogue as a living community for generations to come.

Sir Michael Bear

Former Lord Mayor of London

Professor Sir Simon Schama Baroness Neuberger (Crossbench) Marie van der Zyl

President, Board of Deputies of British Jews

Simon Sebag Montefiore Nickie Aiken MP (Con) Abigail Green

Professor of Modern European History, University of Oxford and 20 others; see telegraph.co.uk