By the 18th century, Chatham and Rochester in Kent had an established Jewish community. The Chatham Memorial Synagogue began construction in 1865 and was opened in 1870. Local merchant Simon Magnus built it to memorialise his only son, Captain Lazarus Simon Magnus, who died in 1865 at 39. The architect Hyman Henry Collins designed the building in an eclectic style combining Romanesque and Byzantine elements. As part of our High Street Heritage Action Zone, we've funded part of the synagogue's re