London’s first mosque – archive

4 October 1926: After the opening ceremony the Imam called the faithful to prayer from the minarets high over the roofs of suburbia

1935: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (far left) on a visit to London’s Fazl mosque, the first purpose-built mosque in the capital.
1935: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (far left) on a visit to London’s Fazl mosque, the first purpose-built mosque in the capital. Photograph: Alamy/Stock

Fleet Street, Sunday
There was a strange meeting of East and West at Southfields this afternoon, when the first mosque to be built in London was opened. The mosque, a graceful little building with a dome in concrete, is placed close to the District railway and in the midst of suburban villas. After the ceremony the Imam called the faithful to prayer from the minarets high over the roofs of suburbia. It is built altogether with steel and concrete, and, unlike the Eastern mosques, it has windows, as a concession to our climate. The architect is Mr. J. H. Mawson, of Lancaster, who, with his father, the well-known town planner, was able to study the architecture of mosques during the reconstruction of Salonika. It is in its incongruous surroundings a thing of beauty.

Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/04/fazl-first-mosque-london-opening-southfields-1926

Categories: Europe, Mosque, The Muslim Times, UK

1 reply

  1. Very interesting report about the first mosque in London. The Fazal Mosque London was inaugurated exactly 90 years ago.

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