Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

During February & April 2008 the synagogue was asked to host several visits from adults enrolled at Havering & Barnet Colleges. The purpose of the visits was to be given a talk by Frank Godson on the history of the site on which the synagogue stands, the history of the synagogue and a rounded view of Judaism in general.

See our image gallery here

Over 4 days 180 people attended the sessions. Frank Godson was assisted by Julian Romain who led the party on behalf of the college.

Briefly The Merchant Seamen’s’ Orphan Asylum was founded in 1827 at 4 Clarke’s Terrace St. George's in the East (London). The intention being to “provide a home for the destitute off-spring of British merchant seaman with a view to assisting and benefiting them when disease, accident or calamity at sea deprived them of the chief support”. In 1834 they moved to premises in Bow Road East London with accommodation for 120 children.

These original sites of the orphanage in East London were to prove inadequate so in 1859 seven acres of Wanstead Forest was purchased from Lord Mornington (a relative of the Duke of Wellington) and it was proposed that a building was built on the land for 250 boys and girls orphaned children of merchant seaman who had died at sea.

The Chapel was built in the same North Italian Venetian Gothic style as the main building next door (the orphanage). The building consists of a “Nave” and can now seat around 180 congregants at our High Holyday services each year. There is an Apsidal Chancel semicircular in shape and this area is now behind the wooden panelling which contains the Ark in which we house our Torah scrolls. The original windows and carvings around the alter have been preserved.

The exterior of the building is finished in red and black brick and red Mansfield and white Ancaster stone dressings over the windows etc. The windows of the nave are in various formations with the shafts some in marble having carved capitals and moulded bases

The front door has deeply recessed brick jams. The walls of the building at this level are 3’ 0” thick. The entrance area contains single shafts with carved capitals and moulded bases. The arch mouldings are in a rope fashion. At the apex of the door arch there is an oval tablet containing a shield bearing the arms of the founder. Which looks like the heads of 3 sailors.

In the centre of the nave roof once rose a crocked fletch or spire 35ft high covered with lead and terminating in wrought iron guilt cross. This was destroyed during the war.

If you look carefully along the walls of the Nave you will see the “shadows” of the original stalls and seats in the chapel which were of oak and pitch pine. Once again they were not removed by us. The original building would have seated 300 children and 30 officers and servants

The main building next door which was the original orphanage has many seafaring references. On the front of number 45 just behind the Chancel end of the building there are 3 relief carvings showing ships of the period when it was built.

The buildings were designed by Mr George Somers Clarke 1861-63. He was a well known architect of the day however I have not had enough time to research his work yet.

The carvings and architectural sculpture were executed by the firm owned by Thomas Earp. Thomas Earp was born in Nottingham in 1828 and died of cholera on the 12th September 1893. He is buried in Nunhead Cemetery, Peckham, London. It is fairly certain that he was related to the famous Wyatt Earp of the American west fame. He was an eminent man in his field and carried out work on a number of well known buildings of the, The Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross, the Law Courts in the Strand and the House of Parliament etc.

His career began under the tutelage of George Myers and Augustus Welby Pugin who were partners in the upsurge of buildings that followed the fire that destroyed the old House of Parliament in 1834. At that time entire schools of modelling stone and wood carving sprang into being.

In 1919 the nuns of the Convent of the Good Shepherd took over the site and the Orphanage moved to Bear Wood in Wokingham.

Eventually the buildings were taken over by Essex County Council and the buildings were all to become part of Wanstead Hospital. It was proposed at that time to build a huge new hospital on the site but this never happened.

The Wanstead Hospital which had 188 beds functioned for over 35 years and finally had its maternity beds withdrawn in 1975. The main building was used for the outdoor scenes of the filming of “Doctor in the House” in the late 60’s early 70’s and the hospital was styled St Swithins for the series.

It eventually closed due to poor cleanliness and high mortality rates of babies.

The building lay empty for some time until it was purchased and refurbished as housing in early 1990s and it opened as Clock Court in 1996. The developers were unable to convert the chapel as it was a grade 2 listed building so they had to sell it. It was thus that the synagogue made the purchase.

The Merchant Seamans Orphan Asylum of 1827-1902 has had many name changes since that period. It became The Royal Merchant Seamans Orphanage between 1902-1935. The Royal Merchant Navy School between 1935-1977 and the Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation from 1980 until today.

The major renovations to the building came when we received a Lottery Grant from English Heritage and the National Lottery Fund. Coincidently a year or so prior to this we managed to negotiate a gift from the developers (Circle 33) of an old people’s home in Tottenham which had a small synagogue on site. Before the site was re developed we managed to fund the removal of all of the panelling and the stained glassed windows and to put them into store. Unfortunately this episode is a lecture in its own right and would take up too much time to relate right now.

The outcome of having the building and the panelling was to receive a grant of approximately £330k from the National Lottery and English Heritage and the outcome was what you see today. The negotiations for the Grant were long and protracted but fruitful in the end. Of course we are continuously spending money on the building in order to make it more comfortable but the style and form of the building is in the main as we purchased it.

Any group wishing to visit this historic building can do so by contacting the synagogue on 020 8559 2235 (answer phone) or by e mail to enquiries@sukkatshalom.org.uk. A small charge will be made for the visit in order to help with the ongoing renovation work.