The UK’s oldest synagogue, Bevis Marks, has been awarded almost £2.8 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a conservation scheme.

The Lottery funding represents around half the cost of the project at the City of London building which has served the community since 1701. The remainder will come from grants and donations.

As well as protecting the fabric of the premises, the money will go towards a religious, educational and cultural centre that will tell the story of Bevis Marks, and the people who have been part of its history, through collections, oral histories and an accessible digital archive.

The Sephardi congregation's collection of historical Judaica will be displayed in one venue for the first time and a partnership with the Jewish Museum will facilitate school visits.  

Rony Sabah, chair of the project committee, said: “The National Lottery Heritage Fund has recognised that this is a vitally important project for the preservation of British Jewish heritage, as well as telling the story about the interconnectivity between British Jews and their neighbours."

Sabah Zubaida, chair of the S&P Sephardi Community, welcomed the securing of the synagogue's future and the recognition of its impact "beyond our community and into the wider British world”.