Northampton Medieval Synagogue

The Northampton Medieval Synagogue lies beneath a kebab shop and a pub in Sheep Street, Northampton. Archaeologists uncovered its remains in 2010 after Marcus Roberts of JTrails and Caroline Sturdy Colls from Birmingham University researched the town’s medieval Jewish past. The building survived both the expulsion of Jews in 1290 and the great fire of Northampton in 1674. Town records from 1751 called it a ‘very substantial; a fair stately hall.’ The site includes stone walls and a staircase now 3.7 metres below ground. Northampton once hosted one of England’s largest medieval Jewish communities. In 1992, archaeologists found traces of a 12th-century Jewish cemetery nearby. The synagogue’s survival for centuries makes it unusual, as most medieval Jewish sites in England were lost after 1290. Its rediscovery shows how local history can lie hidden under everyday buildings. The discovery also adds to the understanding of Jewish life before the expulsion. Visitors can see parts of the stone walls and staircase in the cellar of ‘The Bear’ pub. A wall in the pub’s cellar belongs to the medieval building. Above ground, the kebab shop and pub stand where the synagogue once rose. The site offers a quiet reminder of Northampton’s past, beneath places that serve food and drink today.