Hammersmith Synagogue, Brook Green , 1890-2001

By 1889 there was a need for a synagogue to serve the growing congregation of Jews in the western area of London. The project was initiated by prominent local business and professional men and, on 2 February 1890, the foundation stone was laid at a site in Brook Green. The Hammersmith and West Kensington Synagogue, which was affiliated to the United Synagogue, was consecrated on 7 September 1890.

The building was enlarged in 1896 and again in the 1920s. The purchase of 69 and 70 Brook Green enabled the building of a communal hall, opened in 1927. Thirty years later, in 1957, new flats and a classroom block were erected on the site.

The original members came from a wide area, including Acton, Barnes, Bedford Park, Chiswick, Ealing, Hammersmith, South Kensington, West Kensington, Putney and Shepherds Bush. In the early years the synagogue flourished with various religious and social groups. However, by the late 1990s the membership had declined to such an extent that the synagogue was closed in 2001. The synagogue building is now the Chinese Church in London.