News

Benefit concert for 19 Princelet Street
TRIO GOYA, recently formed by leading harpsichordist and fortepianist Maggie Cole with Kati Debretzeni on violin and Sebastian Comberti on cello, will perform a concert of music by Haydn and Beethoven and donate the proceeds to support the invaluable work done by 19 Princelet Street.

Details on the programme and how to book are available here.

English Heritage announce 19 Princelet Street At Risk
This unique site is for the first time be included in the National (and London) Buildings At Risk Register, published by English Heritage on 9 July 2002. English Heritage recognise this Grade II* listed building as among the top listed builings in the country. We are very grateful to them for technical help, for their commitment to our plans to preserve the site and give it new purpose, and for already committing £30,000 to help with emergency works and technical investigations.

But major intervention, to prevent walls and ceilings deteriorating to complete collapse - now cannot wait. Some £3 million is needed to halt the decay, and open the building again safely and on a permanent basis to the public, as a special sort of museum.

Continuing success in trial openings
Some 10,000 visitors in just a handful of openings each year proves the extraordinary attraction of this haunting site, and its overlapping histories of different peoples. Many came because of this web site, or by word of mouth - so do tell your friends!

Special visits are arranged for schools, universities, refugees and other groups. We need more funds, to welcome all who want to experience this special place.

Winning poster inspired by 19 Princelet Street
Congratulations to Hajera Begum aged 14 of Harpley School for the winning poster, which will be displayed on the DLR and buses in East London.

This was part of the splendid Hidden Art Schools Project 2001, run by Mazorka Projects, in which over 2,000 pupils in Tower Hamlets, Islington and Hackney make pictures inspired by local buildings and architecture.

We were thrilled by the quality of work made here by children from Christ Church School, St Matthias School and Harpley Special School. We will show images on the site - in the mean time visit www.hiddenart.com

Emergency repairs complete
We made emergency repairs and put in steel props to support the upper floors (to stop the Rodinsky attic collapsing completely). We must constantly monitor the site. It could deteriorate rapidly.

The glass roof and the side walls of the rear synagogue are causing concern. Further temporary holding repairs cannot completely stop water falling onto the floors and the rare gold lettered boards in memory of past worshippers.

We need urgently to raise match funding to support our Heritage Lottery bid, and to complete work on that bid.

We mourn Tassaduq Ahmed MBE
Tassaduq Ahmed MBE died on 8 December. He had found refuge in London in 1953, after leaving Sylhet. He was a local hero, who worked selflessly for others. A founding trustee of this charity, making a multicultural museum celebrating diversity was just one of his cherished projects, to help both the British Bangladeshi community and all of us to build lasting human relationships and to share fairly and equally in this land.