The congregation was established in 1901 by Jews from Włodawa, Poland, and by London Jewish cabinetmakers. The congregation therefore had two names, Włodowa Synagogue and the United Workingmen's Synagogue. Immigrant synagogues were frequently named after towns of immigrant origin, much as immigrant parishes were frequently named after the patron saint of towns of the immigrants' origin.
The congregation's first building was in Spital Square, and the 1910 move to Cheshire Street was concurrent with a merger with the Hare Street Synagogue. Because of the large number of cabinetmakers in the congregation, the interior woodwork of the simple, three-storey brick building was said to be particularly beautiful.
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