The Seven Oldest Places of Worship in London

The Seven Oldest Places of Worship in London

The Oldest Mosque

The Fazl Mosque (also known as the London Mosque) in London’s Notting Hill was inaugurated in 1926 but the first prayers were held there from 1924.  The East London Mosque dates back further, with ambitions to build a mosque dating back to 1910.  However, the first mosque in east London wasn’t actually built until 1940.  This mosque was located on Commercial Road and was converted from 3 houses.

The Fazl Mosque was used as a bomb shelter during World War II

The Oldest Synagogue

The Bevis Marks Synagogue in the east end of London opened in 1701 for a Jewish community that came mainly from Spain & Portugal - although there are records of services held nearby from 1663. The Bevis Marks Synagogue is also the oldest continually functioning synagogue in Europe.

Daniel Mendoza, the British boxing champion of 1789 was part of the Spanish & Portuguese community of the east end of London.

The Oldest Catholic Church

St Ethelreda’s is not only the oldest Catholic church in London, but the oldest in England too.  It is located in central London, near Holborn.  The church dates back to the thirteenth century although it has had a chequered history and was restored as an active church in 1879.  At it’s opening a Catholic Mass was celebrated there for the first time in over 200 years.

An engraving of St Ethelreda's, 17775

The Oldest Carribbean Church

The first pentecostal church services were thought to have started in the mid 1950s in private homes around Brixton & Lewisham.  In the 1960s there was a growth in Seventh Day Adventist churches predominantly supported by the community from the Caribbean in Brixton. While Seventh Day Adventists had a presence in London from the end of the nineteenth century, St Paul's church on Ferndale Road may be the oldest purpose built as a Seventh-day Adventist church, built by John Soper - and it was built in 1958.

The Oldest Hindu Temple

The Sri Ghanapathy Hindu Temple in Wimbleon is believed to be the first consecrated Hindu temple in London.  Planning for the temple began in the late 1960s, with regular services in hired halls around Wimbledon through the 1970s.  The temple was finally open and consecrated in 1981 as not only the first Hindu temple in London, but in Europe too.

A smaller adjacent temple dedicated to Sai Baba is an addition to the original temple.

The Oldest Sikh Gudwara

The first Sikh Gurdwara was opened in London in 1911, funded by the Maharaja of Patiala (below) who generously donated £1000 to the Sikh society in order to set up a Gurdwara.  The Gurdwara was opened in Putney and then moved to 79 Sinclair Road, London - a Georgian terrace in Shepherds Bush. The Gurdwara was named the Bhupinder Dharamsala after the Maharaja who was present at the opening.

The Oldest Buddhist Temple

Wat Buddhapadipa in London was the first Buddhist temple in the United Kingdom, established by the London Buddhist Temple Foundation. This temple has been under Thai Royal Patronage since 1965 when it was originally located on Christ Church Road, Richmond. It was moved to its present site in Calonne Road, Wimbledon Parkside in 1976. Wat Buddhapadipa is the only Thai temple ever built in Europe.

Monks visiting Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon

Our First Interview

An interview with Caroline Bourne, cofounder of SharedCity

SC:  What is your family history?

CB:  My family is Jewish and has strands that go back to Poland, Lithuania, Russia and Spain. Three quarters of my Great Grandparents came from small places off the map in Russia or Eastern Europe before the First World War. The other two were extremely anglicised Jews who could trace their history back to the eighteenth century in London, with origins way back ​in Spain. We count Daniel Mendoza, the British Boxing Champion of 1789 among our ancestors. Pictured below is my family lighting the candles at Chanukah last year. And at the bottom is a portrait of my Sefardi grandmother, who recently died aged 92.

SC:  Where is your favourite place in London?

CB:  I love the South Bank as it’s always a place of surprises. And in particular, I love the London Eye because firstly it is so iconic and secondly I was married at the top of it in 2005.

SC:  What is your ideal comfort food?

CB:  Most food is a comfort but forced to choose I would say ​a freshly baked bagel with hummus from Roni's in West Hampstead. Failing that, a big slab of chocolate.


SC:  Where would you love to visit and why?

CB:  I would love to go ​on a safari in Africa to see giraffes running wild. I've always loved giraffes.​


SC:  Why are you involved in SharedCity?

CB:  I have lived in other cities and always miss the diversity of London. I love hearing a billion different languages on the street and seeing different styles of dress on the street. I set up SharedCity to celebrate all the wonderful things about a city with so many different cultures. It is sad when I read negative stories about immigrants in London. Hopefully through SharedCIty others will see what riches different cultures can offer.