Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth marks centenary as London's oldest purpose-built mosque

London's oldest purpose-built mosque, the Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth, has marked its centenary with a series of community events and a pledge to distribute 10,000 free meals to homeless people across the capital.

Also known as the London Mosque, the white-domed building in Southfields opened its doors in October 1926 after an opening ceremony attended by around 600 guests, who watched its black doors unlocked with a silver key. A century on, the mosque remains the spiritual heart of Britain's Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Organisers are marking the milestone under the banner of "a century of connection", pairing historical exhibitions with charitable drives. The building itself, granted listed status by Historic England in 2018, looks remarkably similar to how it appeared a century ago, with its distinctive green dome, tall, narrow windows, and rose gardens tucked away in south London suburbia.

How London's first mosque was built

The land for the mosque was bought in the 1920s with funds raised largely by Ahmadi Muslim women living thousands of miles away in Qadian, India. Many sold their jewellery to pay for the site, knowing they would almost certainly never see the finished building in person.

In the aftermath of the first world war, the mosque's founders set out to build bridges in an unfamiliar city. In its earliest years, before halal butcher shops existed in London, worshippers would travel together to Blooms, the renowned kosher salt beef restaurant in Aldgate East, because kosher slaughter met Islamic dietary standards.

Early visitors included British society figures such as Viscount and Viscountess Allenby, who were served tea from fine china and scones with clotted cream alongside traditional hospitality. The first muezzin calling worshippers to prayer was Bilal Nuttall, a Lancashire-born convert who grew up on the same street as entertainer Gracie Fields and embraced Islam after serving in the Middle East during the first world war.

A quiet role in international history

Beyond neighbourhood life, the mosque played a quiet role in global events. In the 1930s, the mosque's imam, Abdur Rahim Dard, persuaded Muhammad Ali Jinnah to return to political life.

Jinnah, who had trained at Lincoln's Inn, was living in Hampstead and working as a barrister, disillusioned with Indian politics and contemplating staying in England permanently. After talks with Dard, Jinnah delivered a speech in the gardens of the Fazl Mosque that proved a turning point in his political career. He returned to India the following year, eventually becoming the founding governor general of Pakistan following partition in 1947.

Other notable figures visited during the interwar era, including the future king of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who came to Southfields in 1935.

Community service and modern challenges

Over the past century, the building has adapted to national crises. It served as an air raid shelter during the second world war and later operated as a blood donation centre and a Covid-19 vaccination clinic.

Community figures note that while the mosque enjoys deep roots locally—often providing catering for neighbourhood street parties and distributing sweets to local children—challenges persist. Mahmood Rafiq of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK said that while the mosque has avoided severe Islamophobic attacks, members have noticed an increase in low-level harassment, such as aggressive horn-honking by passing motorists.

Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the caliph and worldwide leader of the Ahmadiyya community, said the mosque's core ethos of "love for all, hatred for none" remains focused on service, neighbourliness, and loyalty to the country. Long-standing members like 65-year-old Munir Dean, whose family has attended since the building opened, insist the community's outward-looking outlook will carry it through the next century.