Worshippers hope to raise more than £100,000 by December to help restore their synagogue.

The drab outside of the 19th Century building which serves as Brighton Synagogue gives little hint of the sumptuous interior.

Yet the ornate surroundings need more than £300,000 spent on them after being damaged by the elements.

English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have promised £193,000 towards the repairs but worshippers must raise £114,000 by December.

The Grade II listed synagogue in Middle Street, Brighton, was built in Byzantine style by Thomas Lainson in 1874-75.

It became the first synagogue in the country to have electric lighting.

It was topped with a pagoda roof and remains the oldest Jewish place of worship in Brighton.

Improvements up to 1914 were largely funded by the wealthy Sassoon family, including Sir Albert Sassoon who also had a private mausoleum built in St George's Road, Kemp Town.

Martyn Cooperman, a trustee of the Congregation, said: "The exterior is relatively unremarkable but once inside, the beauty of the synagogue will take your breath away.

"It is simply one of the finest small European synagogues of the 19th Century."

An appeal committee has been formed to generate the necessary cash.

The first fund-raising event will be a concert, An Evening Of Jewish Song, at the synagogue on June 27 at 7.15pm.

Tickets cost between £7.50 and £20.

For more details, call 01273 888855, email office@bhhc-shul.org or log on to www.bhhc-shul.org