The Old Jewish Synagogue is a Grade II listed building in the Cornwall local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 October 1975. Synagogue, commercial premises, residential. 1 related planning application.

The Old Jewish Synagogue

WRENN ID
grim-paling-ivy
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Cornwall
Constituency
Truro and Falmouth MP: Jayne Kirkham (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
1 October 1975
Type
Synagogue, commercial premises, residential
Address
The Old Jewish Synagogue, Smithick Hill, Falmouth
OS grid reference
SW 808 327
Coordinates
50.15431, -5.06979
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Old Jewish Synagogue is a former synagogue that later became commercial premises and is now a house. It was built in 1808 and features red brick with blue headers and granite quoins on the road-facing end, while the rest of the building is rendered. The structure has a hipped roof covered with asbestos slate and a rectangular plan. The road front includes two original large hornless sash windows with spoked fanlight heads and small panes, along with a central oculus above. There is a later doorway located beneath the right-hand window sill. To the right-hand return, there are three similar original sash windows, and the left-hand return has two later windows positioned high up, along with a porch at the far left.

Historically, the Jewish community settled in Falmouth in 1740, establishing their first synagogue on Fish Strand Quay. They moved to this site in 1808, and the building served as a synagogue until 1879. This synagogue is an early and historically significant example of English synagogue architecture, closely resembling contemporary non-conformist chapels.

Local climate

The Old Jewish Synagogue receives an average of 850 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 84% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 7 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 3 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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