Hebrew Gates

The Hebrew Gates are entrance gates dating to 1926, originally serving the Hull Western Synagogue and the former Hebrew School for Girls. They are constructed of ironwork and situated between 17 and 19 Linnaeus Street.

The gates consist of double vehicular entrances flanked by pedestrian gates, all supported by square gate piers. Each pier is formed of railings with five uprights on each side, linked by decorative bands of diamond-headed fleur-de-lis below two bands forming simple star or hourglass shapes. Above this, a prominent Star of David is displayed on each face, with the railings rising to a central spike. The central gates themselves are vertical spiked railings that echo the fleur-de-lis and hourglass decorative bands of the piers. They are ramped to accommodate inscribed plates: the left gate commemorates the late Edward Gosschalk and was presented by his widow and sons in June 1926, whilst the right gate bears an inscription in Hebrew script. The flanking pedestrian gates continue the decorative design but lack the inscribed plates. These gates are attached to piers that mimic the central piers but are halved, displaying the Star of David only on the face facing the entrance.

The Hull Western Synagogue, originally part of a larger complex including the Hebrew School for Girls, dates to 1902. Number 19 Linnaeus Street had previously served as a headmaster’s house. The gates were erected in June 1926 as a memorial to Edward Gosschalk, a synagogue member and partner at Gosschalk Solicitors, a legal firm founded by his father in the late 19th century. The synagogue served both the local Jewish community and many eastern European Jewish immigrants passing through Hull en route to North America early in the 20th century. The synagogue closed in 1994.

The gates are designated at Grade II for their rarity as a public display of Jewish symbols and a Hebrew inscription predating the Second World War, and for their group value alongside the listed former Hull Western Synagogue.