Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking
| Shah Jahan Mosque | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Oriental Road, Woking, England |
| Geographic coordinates | 51°19′18.5″N 0°32′51″W / 51.321806°N 0.54750°WCoordinates: 51°19′18.5″N 0°32′51″W / 51.321806°N 0.54750°W |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Website | shahjahanmosque |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | W. I. Chambers |
| Architectural type | Mosque |
| Architectural style | Indo-Saracenic Revival |
| Completed | 1889 |
| Specifications | |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Minaret(s) | 0 (2 miniature) |
The Shah Jahan Mosque (also known as Woking Mosque) in Oriental Road, Woking, England, is the first purpose-built mosque in the United Kingdom. Built in 1889, it is located 30 miles (50 km) southwest of London.
The Shah Jahan Mosque was built in 1889 by Hungarian-British Jew and orientalist Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner. It was partly funded by Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal, as a place for students at the Oriental Institute in Woking to worship at. The mosque was designed by architect W. I. Chambers and built in Bath and Bargate stone. It was designed in a Indo-Saracenic Revival style, and has a dome, minarets, and a courtyard. The architecture was described by Pevsner Architectural Guides as "extraordinarily dignified".
The Oriental Institute, for the students of which the mosque was construction, was founded by Leitner in 1881. He had purchased the former Royal Dramatic College building in Woking and established the Institute in order to promote oriental literature. It awarded degrees from the University of the Punjab in Lahore, India.
The mosque became the first formal place of Islamic worship in England. Queen Victoria's Indian servants and her Indian secretary, Abdul Karim, used the mosque when the Queen visited Windsor Castle. A small number of dignitaries, students, and guests used the mosque until Leitner's death in 1899, following which the mosque closed.
The mosque fell into disuse between Leitner's death and 1912. Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, an Indian Ahmadiyya advocate and founder of the Woking Muslim Mission, worked to re-found the mosque. Leitner's son wanted to sell the land to property developers so Khwaja took him to court on the grounds that the Mosque was consecrated ground just like a church and therefore deserved the same rights and property limitations. He won and after purchasing the grounds from Leitner's son for a small price he was able to re-open the Mosque in 1913. It attracted royal visitors and famous British converts, such as Lord Headley and Marmaduke Pickthall. The mosque became a centre of Islam in the UK. During the First World War, the incumbent imam, Sadr-Ud-Din, petitioned the UK government to grant nearby land to the mosque as a burial ground for Indian Muslim soldiers. By 1917, this burial ground had been constructed and received the bodies of 19 soldiers from the hospital for Indian soldiers at Brighton Pavilion.
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