Historical British Mosques
The oldest mosque in Britain is recorded to be in Liverpool from 1889. The Muslim Institute was set up by a group of British Muslim converts, led by Sheikh Abdullah William Henry Quilliam (1856-1932). He was a solicitor who had converted to Islam during his travels in Morocco.
The Muslims who prayed here, although they were mainly white, were targeted by Islamophobic abuse and hatred. However, the mosque remained until 1908, until Quilliam left Liverpool.
It was then used as council offices, but then fell into disrepair. Recently, it has been refurbished by the Abdullah Quilliam Society and reopened as a mosque.
The mosque was very active in the community, and the Muslim community around it grew. It was a force for good and charitable works in the surrounding area. The Muslim Institute set up a printing press, lecture hall, orphanage and school. Its aim was, in Quilliam's words, to establish “Islam on a permanent footing in this country”.
The atmosphere at the Muslim Institute was inclusive and progressive. Non-Muslims were invited to participate in its busy programme of public evening classes and lectures, which offered opportunities for local working people to learn new vocational skills
Humayun Ansari, Professor of the History of Islam at Royal Holloway University said about Quilliam: "He converted 200 locals and 600 people in the whole of the UK and spent a lot of his time persuading people about the merits of Islam and how it wasn't the evil religion it was presented to be."
Quilliam's work and reputation led him to be appointed Sheikh-ul-Islam of the British Isles by the last Ottoman ruler Sultan Abdul Hamid ll in 1894 and recognised by the Shah of Persia and the Emir of Afghanistan as the leader of British Muslims.
Another one of the oldest mosques in Britain is the Shah Jahan mosque in Woking, Surrey . It is known as the first purpose-built mosque in Britain. It was commissioned in 1889 by a Jewish academic, Gottfried Leitner, in the grounds of an educational institute to cater for his Muslim students and visiting dignitaries.
The mosque was constructed in a beautiful Mughal copied style, and it is one of the buildings at the time which captures the Orientalist fascination with the East. Other buildings include the Brighton Pavilion built in 1825 and Leighton House in London, built in 1864.
According to the Architects Journal, the Woking Mosque, “represents the very first manifestation of the mosque as a building type, and representation of Islam, in Britain.”
Interestingly, Channel 4 New presenter and author, Fatima Manji in her recent book, ‘Hidden Heritage’ states that the oldest mosque structure in Britain actually dates back to the 18th century, and was built in Kew Gardens, and was commissioned by the mother of George III. She told me: “Does it change the perception of mosque building in this country to point out that the first mosque structure was built back in 1762 at Kew Gardens and it was commissioned by a royal princess?”
