19 Princelet Street

Actor and film star Colin Salmon worked with us to create the museum’s pioneering Suitcases and Sanctuary exhibition, and is a passionate advocate and ambassador for 19 Princelet Street. In what must surely be a first for a museum-maker, Colin joined an exceptional year of talented celebrities, including Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud and Olympians Victoria Pendleton and Louis Smith, on the dance floor for Strictly Come Dancing.

19 Princelet Street is a place for dialogue and debate. It was the perfect setting for Sarfraz Manzoor to assess government policy on immigration controls, for This Week the BBC’s politics and current affairs TV programme hosted by Andrew Neil.

Sarfraz also told the story of his own family’s arrival in Britain. His analysis of the economic arguments around the government’s policy led into a studio debate. Watch the report

19 Princelet Street has been listed as part of Time Out's new 101 best things to do in London feature.

The definitive guide to getting the most out of London; the list of the 101 best things to do in the capital is put together by Time Out’s troop of expert writers and editors (along with suggestions from well-known London bloggers).

>> Find out more on the Time Out website.

This rare archive image of the synagogue, bedecked with flowers for Shavuot, is from 1911. Previously unpublished, we release our earliest photograph to mark a special birthday of one of our patrons, the very special Lady Grade (shown below, peeking from the ladies' gallery before climbing up to the weavers' garrets).

Show business mogul Lord 'Lew' Grade famously described their long and happy marriage as 'the best deal I ever made' . Arriving from Tokmak aged 5, the young Lew - later Lord Grade of Elstree (1906-1998) - found Brick Lane 'bleak and rather dark', unlike the bright and buzzy street that Lady Grade enjoyed on her latest visit. We look forward to seeing her soon and wish her a wonderful 91st year, with many more happy birthdays to come!

Social historian, broadcaster, novelist and campaigner, Gilda O'Neill was a beautiful, intelligent woman and a most generous friend.  We loved her from the moment her head came round our door.  In the days before acclaim and queues, Gilda turned up with journalists who had come from Jerusalem to interview her, and with typical kindness donated them to us.  She never looked down on anyone, she stood back to give others the limelight, she  was utterly honest in her relations with people and in her work.  We admired and loved her, and we miss her.

In the gorgeous surroundings of Leighton House in London's Holland Park, TRIO GOYA launched with a beautiful benefit concert for us. We were so touched and grateful to Maggie Cole, leading harpsichordist and fortepianist, who with Kati Debretzeni on violin and Sebastian Comberti on cello performed music by Haydn and Beethoven.  Trio Goya donated all proceeds to support the invaluable work done by 19 Princelet Street.

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 are actively seeking more funds, to be able to welcome more people who want to experience this special place.

This unique site was included in the National (and London) Buildings At Risk Register published by English Heritage, 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 their grant of £30,000 towards vital works and technical investigations.

Tassaduq Ahmed MBE died on 8 December 2001.  Tassaduq had found refuge in London in 1953, after leaving Sylhet.  He was a local hero, who worked selflessly for others, and a self-declared adoptive brother to Susie Symes. 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.

We made emergency repairs and put in steel props to support the upper floors (to stop the Rodinsky attic collapsing). We constantly monitor the site, to prevent any deterioration. We are grateful to English Heritage and Tower Hamlets Borough Council for their grants in support of these works, and thank the many friends and other donors whose donations helped fund the work.

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.  Hajera's work 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 made 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..