Welsh Jewish Cultural Centre, Wales

Merthyr Tydfil Synagogue is a Grade II listed landmark and the oldest surviving purpose-built synagogue in Wales. Designed by local architect Charles Taylor and constructed between 1872 and 1875, the building occupies a prominent position above the town but has remained vacant and deteriorating since 2004.

The project will rescue and sensitively restore the historic building, transforming it into the new Welsh Jewish Heritage Centre. The proposals reinstate the original double-height synagogue space and three-sided gallery while conserving significant surviving features, including the stone Ark, mikvah, decorative leaded-glass windows, Hebrew inscriptions, exposed roof structure and distinctive terracotta dragon.

New exhibition, education and flexible community spaces will support a varied programme exploring Welsh Jewish history, culture, migration, tolerance and inclusion. Carefully integrated circulation and a new lift will provide accessible movement across all four levels, while improvements to the building fabric and services will secure its long-term, sustainable use as a nationally significant heritage, cultural and educational destination.