The Toxteth area was rapidly expanding as Liverpool's magnates built opulent mansions.

The synagogue stands in a cluster of houses of worship designed to advertise the wealth and status of the local captains of industry, a group that was remarkably ethnically diverse by the standards of Victorian England; immediately adjacent to the synagogue on Princes Road are the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, the Church of England's parish of St Margaret of Antioch, and the Welsh Presbyterian Church.

[4] The synagogue today is attended only on Shabbat mornings and holidays, though it remains popular for weddings and b'nai mitzvah.

[5] The synagogue was featured prominently in a stamp released for the coronation of King Charles III, intended to celebrate religious diversity.

The interior is notable for its lavish decoration, including gilding and unstinting use of the finest woods and marbles.