Exhibition marks Jewish cemetery refurb

THE start of long awaited restoration works to the derelict Jewish cemetery in Edge Hill has been marked with an exhibition of art and photography.

Deane Road cemetery, which opened in 1837, is the final resting place of Liverpool luminaries such as David Lewis, the founder of the department store Lewis’s, and Moses Samuel, founder of H Samuel jewellers. 

The last recorded burial took place in 1929. Since then the derelict site has fallen into disrepair and become overgrown with weeds

Now prints and paintings by local artists and photographers - and a temporary light installation by artist Robyn Woolston make up a new exhibition at Kensington Methodist Church. 

Bit of a messRiverside’s Community Engagement Officer Lisa Shearwood-Vingoe, who is a member of the Deane Road Cemetery Committee, said: “Deane Road Cemetery is the final resting place of some of Liverpool’s most influential figures who shaped the city. As such, it is a site of historical importance and this exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate that heritage.”

Following a community clean-up organised by the Cemetery Committee, Riverside and Business in the Community the Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation secured lottery funding to restore the cemetery.  

The money will help repair the boundary wall, entrance archway, path, front gates and railings and will also be used to re-erect and repair fallen gravestones with the long term aim of running tours for visitors as part of a heritage trail.

*The exhibition is open Thursdays and Fridays 11am – 4pm and Sundays 1pm – 4pm until 23 October. 294  Kensington Liverpool, L7 2RN