London mosque gets listed status celebrating Muslim heritage

A London mosque was given special listed status on Tuesday in recognition of its architectural and historic importance, in a move a government minister said celebrated “the rich heritage of Muslim communities in England”.

The London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park, central London, was listed as a Grade II building by the government’s culture department.

The special Grade II status is awarded to just 5.8 percent of approximately 500,000 listed buildings in England, marking them out as particularly important sites and giving them greater protection.

“By listing a beautiful mosque, we are not only preserving important places of worship, but also celebrating the rich heritage of Muslim communities in England,” said Heritage Minister Michael Ellis.

A fund to establish a central London mosque was set up in 1910, but the Regent’s Park location was only secured in the 1940s and building work was finally completed in 1977.

Although there are around 1,500 mosques in Britain, fewer than 20 percent are purpose-built according to Heritage England, which compiles the listings.

The country’s first purpose-built mosque opened in Woking, a town south-west of London, in 1889.

The Shah Jahan Mosque was upgraded on Tuesday to Grade I status, a ranking shared with sites such as royal residence Buckingham Palace.

An Ahmadi place of worship in the Southfields area was also listed as a Grade II building. It is the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya  community and was London’s first purpose-built place of worship when it opened in 1926.