Merthyr Synagogue

The Jewish congregation of Merthyr Tydfil was established in 1848 at a time when Merthyr was a centre of the Industrial Revolution and the largest town in Wales. The new congregation called itself the "Merthyr Tydfil Hebrew Congregation", and erected its first synagogue in 1852–1855 on John Street. That first building was demolished in the 1990s. The 1855 building was replaced by the prosperous congregation with the surviving synagogue building in 1877. The congregation had 27 head-of-household members in 1900. The 2011 census recorded four. In the 1980s, the synagogue was closed and the building was sold and became the Merthyr Christian Centre. In 2006 it was in use as a gymnasium. In 2019…

The synagogue is a stone building designed in Gothic Revival style, as were the former synagogues of Llanelli and Pontypridd. Unlike those simpler buildings, the Merthyr Tydfil synagogue is a "Disneyland" fantasy of a building. It was designed by a local architect named Charles Taylor, who was influenced by contemporary buildings such as Castell Coch. In 1978 the building was given Grade II* listing, changed to Grade II in 1983.