Places of South Asian Heritage in England

Brougham Terrace, Liverpool

In 1889 William Henry Quilliam, a Liverpool solicitor and Muslim convert, bought number 8 for the Liverpool Muslim Institute. The Institute had been established by Quilliam at the Temperance Hall on Mount Vernon Street, Liverpool in 1887. After building an extension at the rear of the building, number 8 became the first fully-functioning mosque in England.

Quilliam later bought the rest of the houses at the north-eastern end of the terrace and opened a boarding school for boys, a day school for girls and an orphanage known as Medina House at number 12 Brougham Terrace.

Quilliam also established the first Islamic publication house in the United Kingdom, in the basement of number 8. There he published 'The Crescent', a monthly journal known as 'The Islamic World' that was circulated worldwide and collections of his lectures.

 Read why number 8 Brougham Terrace is Grade II* listed .

Lancashire textile mills

At the end of the Second World War there was a significant skills and labour gap in England. In the 1950s there were government led recruitment drives in former colonies, including those in South Asia. Migrant workers, often from Pakistan, found employment in the textile industry. Specifically in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire – such as Hartford Works, the mill shown here.

 Read why Hartford Works in Oldham is Grade II listed .

Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield

Burngreave Cemetery has a small inter-war cluster of graves of Indian Muslims and is some of the earliest evidence of South Asian presence in Sheffield. Among the headstones is one from 1929, of an infant Souriya Khan. The child was born to a working-class couple: Ayaht Kahn, a Pashtun man from what is now Pakistan, who worked as a boiler-firer in the Sheffield steel industry, and his wife Hilda, the daughter of a Sheffield steelworks furnaceman. They brought up their daughter in the Muslim faith during the late 1920s.  Read why the Burngreave Cemetery Chapels are Grade II listed .

Sheffield Islamic Centre

Industries in working class towns such as the mills of Bolton and Bradford, and the steel factories of Sheffield, sought labour from countries in South Asia, often because people there would accept lower wages. Migrant communities needed places where they could recreate their cultural and religious activities. Shown here, the interior of Sheffield Islamic Centre built between 2004-2008.

Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Smethwick

There are more than 330,000 Sikhs living in the UK today, all belonging to the community known as the Khalsa. The UK’s Sikh population grew in the 1950s and 60s when Sikhs from Punjab in Northwest India sought work and life abroad, following divisions caused by British colonial rule of India and the trauma of Partition. Many Sikhs came to Britain to settle in areas like London, Birmingham and West Yorkshire, taking on industrial work.

Smethwick’s Gurdwara houses one of the largest congregations in the UK and is the biggest Gurdwara in Europe. Built in the 1990s, it continues to expand with Smethwick’s growing Sikh population. Community is at the heart of the Sikh faith and Gurdwaras are a focal point for communities to come together and worship.

Elveden Hall, Suffolk

The west wing was built by John Norton for the Maharajah Duleep Singh – formerly Maharajah of the Punjab and the last ruler of the Sikh Empire – in 1879. The Maharajah purchased the 17,000-acre Elveden Estate in 1863 after he was exiled to England, having been forced to abdicate by the British East India Company.

Duleep Singh redesigned the interior to resemble the Mughal palaces of his childhood. He also built an aviary where he kept exotic birds.

Elveden Hall was the birthplace of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, god-daughter of Queen Victoria, suffragette and women's rights campaigner. Princess Sophia refused to pay taxes in protest against the disenfranchisement of women. Her actions caused George V to exasperatedly ask ‘have we no control of her?’. After the death of Emmeline Pankhurst in 1928, the Princess became president of the Committee of the Suffragette Fellowship. During her term, the Equal Franchise Act came into effect, enabling women over age 21 to vote.

Elveden is part of the national Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail and is a significant place for Sikh pilgrimages.  Read why Elveden Hall is Grade II* listed .

Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh, Thetford

Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Sikh ruler, was exiled to England. He was father of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, god-daughter of Queen Victoria, suffragette and women's rights campaigner. He spent much of his life in Britain and enjoyed living in Elveden Hall and the surrounding area where he restored the church, cottages, and school.

Thetford and Elveden have become significant places for Sikh pilgrimages and are part of the national Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail.

Oxford University and Hardit Singh Malik

Hardit Singh Malik was busy enjoying his studies at Balliol College, Oxford and even breaking on to the national cricket scene (being snapped up by Sussex) when the First World War broke out.

This major global event gave Hardit the opportunity to become a record-breaker in British and South Asian military history. Through his struggle to become a fighter pilot in the British air force, he not only changed his own life, but also became the first Indian to fly as a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps. It is clear that the idea of flying planes strongly captured the young student's imagination, as Hardit was keen to join the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) straight after graduating in 1915. The alternative would have been to sign up for an Indian army unit – several of which fought alongside the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry during the war.

 Read why this part of Balliol College is Grade II listed .

Gurdwara, Bristol

Many immigrant populations are well represented in England's port cities. In Bristol, members of the Sikh community purchased a former school in 1970, adapting the 19th century building so it could function as a place of worship and community facility.

Chattri containing the tomb of Rammohun Roy, Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol

Rammohun Roy was a prominent and highly important socio-religious reformer in the early-19th century. His work helped to bring about reform in both India and England and he is a figure of national importance.  Read why the Chattri is Grade II* listed .

Muslim Burial Ground and Peace Garden, Woking, Surrey

Over 1 million troops from India, including what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh, fought for Britain during the First World War. Under pressure from German propaganda, which implied that Britain was burying its Muslim soldiers in a disrespectful way, the government built a burial ground in Woking, close to Britain’s only purpose-built Mosque. The burial ground, also known as the Mohammedan Cemetery, was designed by T Herbert Winney, India Office Surveyor, to provide a site where Muslim soldiers killed in action could be buried according to their religion.

By the time of its completion in 1917 it had received 19 burials of soldiers who died between 16 July 1915 and 3 February 1916. Vandalism meant that the burials had to be moved to the military cemetery at Brookwood, but the site has recently been restored and is now a Memorial Garden for all Muslim soldiers who fell in the World Wars.  Read why the Muslim Burial Ground is Grade II listed .

The Shah Jahan Mosque on Oriental Road, Woking

The Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking is the earliest purpose-built mosque in Britain and northern Europe. It was built 1888-1889 to the designs of William Isaac Chambers, and commissioned by Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, a Hungarian Jewish linguist, who spent most of his working life in British-ruled India. His ambition was to establish an educational Oriental Institute to enhance the study of the culture and history of India and the Islamic world.

Leitner died in 1899, and the mosque fell into disuse. It was revived and restored by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din (1870-1932), an Indian lawyer who visited the site in 1913 and found the mosque locked, unused for many years. The Woking Muslim Trust was set up and Kamal-ud-Din appointed to run the mosque, which is said to have become the focus of Islam in Britain in the early- to mid-20th century.

From 1887 up to the Second World War, there were only a handful of mosques in the country. There was a significant White British convert Muslim presence in these early years, and this influence was felt both in the establishment of the first mosques and the organisation of the emerging Muslim institutions. In addition, there were members of the Ahmadiyya movement, founded in the late-19th century in India, who revived the Woking Mosque. They went on to build Fazl Mosque in South London in the 1920s, the capital’s first mosque.  Read why the Shah Jahan Mosque is Grade I listed .

The Fazl Mosque, Southfields

The Fazl Mosque (1925-26), on Gressenhall Road, Southfields was the first purpose-built mosque in London and only the second purpose-built mosque in Britain. It is the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Community and can be seen as the earliest community-built mosque – funds were raised by the community in India, mostly by women from within the movement, and the construction was undertaken with the support of voluntary labour.

Built to the designs of nationally renowned firm T H Mawson and Sons, the Fazl Mosque is a fusion of Indian Mughal architectural forms with contemporary British stylistic trends – the spherical dome on its buttressed square base resembles the 1923 twin towers of the Wembley British Empire Exhibition Stadium.

The Fazl Mosque contrasts with the earlier Shah Jahan mosque at Woking, as in the 36 years between the two buildings the Orientalist style had fallen out of favour. Its popular association with seaside piers, theatres and amusement arcades made the style less appropriate for a new place of worship in the 1920s.  Read why the Fazl Mosque is Grade II listed .

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden, London

After Christianity and Islam, Hinduism is the third most popular religion practiced in the United Kingdom. There are over 150 Hindu temples in the country. Like Islam, the presence of Hinduism in England is connected to Empire and immigration, particularly dating to the early 19th century and more recently following the Second World War. There are many Hindu denominations. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha community has beliefs firmly rooted in the Vedas religious texts.

The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London is the largest Hindu temple in Europe. Built between 1991 and 1995, the temple features an exterior of Bulgarian limestone with Indian and Italian marble used internally - all chosen for their durability and sculptural qualities. The stone was transported to India where it was crafted before assembly at the temple site in London.

London Central Mosque

The movement to establish a central mosque in London spanned some 70 years and was tied-up with the politics, diplomacy and international relations that shaped much of the 20th century. The idea of a building to represent Islam in Britain was initiated by a small number of eminent Muslims who had lived or settled in London since the late-19th century. In 1910 the London Mosque Fund was established to raise the funds. They got as far as appointing an architect and purchasing a site, but progress stalled.

The idea of a landmark of the Muslim faith in the capital of the British Empire was politically sensitive from the outset. Set against anti-Muslim sentiment within parts of the establishment was a recognition of the diplomatic benefits that such an undertaking could bring. Finally, in 1944, the government under Winston Churchill gave its proactive support to the cause, providing funds for the purchase of a property known as Regent’s Lodge on the outer circle of Regent’s Park, and offering this as the site for a new mosque. From here the Islamic Cultural Centre was launched. Following an international competition to find an architect in 1968, the mosque trust selected architect Sir Frederick Gibberd.

Built between 1970 and 1977, London Central Mosque is a landmark building, both architecturally and historically, of considerable national importance as a symbol of Islam in England.  Read why the London Central Mosque is Grade II* listed .

Ready Money Drinking Fountain, Regent’s park, London

The Ready Money Drinking Fountain was designed in 1869 for Sir Cowasjee Jehangir. Known as the Parsee fountain after its benefactor, the monument was presented as a token of gratitude to the people of England for the protection enjoyed by him and the Parsee people under British rule in India.  Read why the Ready Money Drinking Fountain is Grade II listed .

Indian YMCA, London

The Indian YMCA was founded in London in 1920 by K T Paul, the first Indian-born General Secretary of the National Council of the YMCAs of India.

Paul recognised the need for a social and cultural centre for young Indians studying in London, and opened the first student hostel in ‘Shakespeare Hut’, Bloomsbury, built during the First World War as a refuge for travelling soldiers. In 1923 the hostel moved to new premises on Gower Street, and over the course of the following 20 years served as an important venue for meetings, lectures and debates around the issue of Indian Independence from Britain, which culminated in the Indian Independence Act of 1947.  Read why the Indian YMCA is Grade II listed .

41 Craven Street

41 Craven Street was occupied between1951 and 1964 by the India Club, a private members club set up as a non-political extension of the India League. The India League was a key organisation in the campaign for Indian Independence from Britain, spearheaded by Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon from 1929. Following the Indian Independence Act of 1947 the organisation refocused its activities to promote good relations between the two countries, and to support the Indian diaspora internationally.  Read why 41 Craven Street is Grade II listed .

Finsbury Town Hall

Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Asian person to sit in the House of Commons. Naoroji was born into relative poverty in Bombay and benefited from free public schooling – and believed that public service was the best way to repay his moral debts for his education. In the late 1840s, he opened schools for Indian girls, earning the wrath of orthodox Indian men.

He made his first visit to Great Britain in 1855, and was shocked at the prosperity and wealth in comparison to India. This led him to study and prove that 'imperialism did not bring prosperity to colonial subjects.' In 1886, he launched his first campaign to run for parliament, from Holborn, and was soundly defeated, but in 1892, voters in Central Finsbury elected him to Parliament by a margin of just five votes.  Read why Finsbury Town Hall is Grade II* listed .

Brick Lane Mosque, Spitalfields, London

Brick Lane Mosque has been used by various different faiths over its lifetime and is an excellent example of how people of different faiths have shaped the places around them, whilst respecting a building’s spiritual past.  Read why Brick Lane Mosque is Grade II* listed .

Petticoat Lane, Tower Hamlets, London

East London has long been a place of immigration, with a mixing of many communities and voices.

The coming of the Second World War saw settlers of Bengalis from the Sylhet district of what is now Bangladesh come to London, some after serving in the merchant navy during the war. Some established themselves in the Brick Lane area, where they found jobs in Jewish tailoring works or started new businesses of their own including the famous curry restaurants for which the area is now well known. Most Bangladeshis arrived in London between 1976 and 1990.

Shahid Minar monument in Altab Ali Park, London

The Shahid Minar is a replica of a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The monument commemorates those killed during the Bengali Language Movement demonstrations of 1952 in what was then East Pakistan.

London Bengalis meet to commemorate International Mother Tongue day at midnight on 21 February every year at the Shahid Minar. The monument is one of several similar replicas across England.

The surrounding park is named after Altab Ali, a Bangladeshi textile worker who was murdered by three teenagers on 4 May 1978 in a racist attack as he walked home after work. Ali became a symbol of resistance against racism and is associated with the struggle for human rights in defence of British Bangladeshis.

Lloyd’s building

The Lloyd's building, headquarters for Lloyd's of London, was built on the site of the former East India House. East India House was the London headquarters of the East India Company, which seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent and colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.  Read why the Lloyd's Building is Grade I listed .

Statue of Mohinder Singh Pujji, RAF Pilot, Gravesend.

Mohinder Singh Pujji was a distinguished Royal Air Force fighter pilot and one of the first Indian Sikh pilots to volunteer with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. For his service bravery over Japanese occupied territory, Pujji was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

In 1940, Pujji became one of the first batch of pre-qualified ‘A’ licensed Indian pilots accepted to receive a Volunteer Reserve commission in the Royal Air Force. That year, he embarked to the UK and successfully qualified receiving his RAF wings in 1941.

Pujji flew mainly Hurricanes during his active service, with the No. 43 Squadron RAF, the formidable 'Fighting Cocks', and later the No. 258 Squadron RAF. He is one of the few Indian pilots to have served in all three major theatres of the Second World War. Pujji emigrated to England in 1974 and retired to Gravesend in 1998, where his statue stands.

Chattri Memorial, Brighton

Built overlooking the city of Brighton, the Chattri stands where Hindu and Sikh soldiers who died during the First World War in the military hospital at the Royal Pavilion were cremated. Indian architect, E C Henriques, designed the memorial which was officially unveiled in 1921 by Edward, Prince of Wales. The inscription gives thanks ‘to the memory of all the Indian soldiers who gave their lives’.  Read why the Chattri is Grade II listed .

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

During the First World War, the Royal Pavilion was converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers. It became one of the most famous military hospitals in Britain.

From 1914 to 1916 it was used for Indian soldiers who had been wounded on the battlefields of the Western Front. From 1916 to 1920 it was used as a hospital for British troops who had lost arms or legs in the war.

Three buildings in Brighton were converted into hospitals that provided 3,300 beds for Indian soldiers under the control of the Indian Medical Service. As well as the Royal Pavilion, there was also Secondary Council School on York Place and Brighton Poor Law Institution on Elm Grove, which was renamed the Kitchener Indian Hospital.  Read why the Royal Pavilion is Grade I listed .

Osborne House, Isle of Wight

“It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" said Queen Victoria about Osborne House, her holiday home on the Isle of Wight. The house was designed by Prince Albert himself, in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo, as a summer home and rural retreat for the royal family.

After Albert’s death, Queen Victoria continued to use Osborne as a royal retreat and for diplomatic relations. In the later years of her reign, the Queen struck up a very close friendship with her Indian servant Abdul Karim (shown here in a portrait photographed at Osborne House in 1893). He taught her Urdu and introduced her to Indian culture, including Indian curries, which she adored. The queen had had two Indian servants, Abdul Karim and Mohammed Buksh, brought over to England in 1887. Karim went on to become one of the Queen's closest confidents and advisers. She also allowed his wife to come over from India to join him. He became Indian Secretary to Queen Victoria in 1892 and remained so until her death.

Her growing fascination with Indian culture was epitomised in the Durbar Room at Osborne, which was designed by Bhai Ram Singh and Lockwood Kipling (Rudyard’s father). Queen Victoria died at Osborne House in January 1901.  Read why Osborne House is Grade I listed .

Memorial Obelisk to the Indian Army Convalescent Depot, Barton on Sea

A convalescent hospital Depot for troops was opened at Barton on Sea in 1914. Soldiers sick and injured during the fighting in the European theatres of conflict, and recuperating in England, could be cared for by a small medical team in the healthy seaside location. First, the sea-front hotel Barton Court was adapted into Barton Convalescent Camp; then the Grand Marine Hotel was commandeered to cope with the growing numbers of casualties; finally, a temporary hutted camp was added in the hotel grounds and on adjacent land.

Initially only British troops had been admitted, but it was not long before Indian soldiers (on service in the trenches in France and Flanders) were being treated at the Depot, and it became known as the Indian Army Convalescent Home. More than 1 million servicemen of the Indian Army served overseas during the First World War, of whom around 74,000 died. Desiring to commemorate the Depot and its soldiers, the medical staff subscribed to a memorial fund and the obelisk, marking the Indian Army Convalescent Home, was unveiled on 10 July 1917.  Read why the Memorial Obelisk is Grade II listed .