Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich |
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Gurdwara and langar (white façade)
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sikhism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Greenwich Sikh Association |
| Location | |
| Location | Woolwich London, SE18 United Kingdom |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Wesleyan chapel (cf Wesley's Chapel) |
| Architectural style | Georgian architecture |
| Completed | 1816 |
| Construction cost | £4,594 |
| Capacity | 850 (in 1816) |
| Website | |
| woolwichgurdwara.org.uk | |
The Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich is a special place of worship for Sikh people in Woolwich, South East London. It was first built a long time ago, between 1814 and 1816, as a Methodist church. Later, in the late 1970s, it became a Sikh gurdwara.
The main part of the building is very old and important. It is a "Grade II-listed" building, which means it is protected because of its history and special design. The building next door used to be a place for soldiers and a Sunday school. Now, it is used as a langar hall, which is a big dining room where everyone can share free vegetarian meals.
Contents
Where is the Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich?
The gurdwara and its langar hall are on a unique piece of land in Woolwich. It is about 1500 square meters (or 0.37 acres) in size. You can find it at the corner of Calderwood Street and John Wilson Street. John Wilson Street is part of a main road called the A205 or South Circular Road.
When the Methodist church was built, Calderwood Street was called William Street. It was renamed in 1938 after a local business person. Part of Calderwood Street is a special "conservation area," which means it has historical importance. However, the gurdwara buildings are not part of this specific protected area.
A Look Back: History of the Building
From Methodist Church to Gurdwara
The first Wesleyan Methodist group in Woolwich started in 1789. They built a small church, but it soon became too small for everyone. So, in 1812, they found a new piece of land on William Street (now Calderwood Street).
Building the new church began in 1814 and finished two years later in 1816. It cost £4,594, which was a lot of money back then! In 1817, a Sunday school for 400 children was built next to the church. This school building was replaced in 1889–90 with the building we see today. The new building also had a "Soldiers' Institute." This was a place for soldiers who were not part of the main church to gather.
After the Second World War, the Soldiers' Institute closed. Fewer people attended the church, and by 1977, there were only about fifteen members. The local council stopped plans to rebuild the site because the chapel was listed as a historic building in 1973.
In 1977, the two buildings were put up for sale. The local Sikh community bought them soon after. They changed the buildings into a gurdwara, and it has been a Sikh place of worship ever since.
Every year during the harvest festival called Visakhi, thousands of Sikhs take part in a parade. This parade, known as Nagar Kirtan, goes through Woolwich. It starts at another gurdwara and ends at the Gurdwara Sahib in Calderwood Street.
The Buildings of Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich
The Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich has two main buildings. One is the old Wesleyan church hall from 1816, which is now the main gurdwara. The other is the former Soldier's Institute and Sunday School from 1890, which is now the langar hall.
A brick wall and fences partly surround the area. Some fences have Sikh symbols on them. In one corner, there is a tall, decorated flagpole with a Nishan Sahib. This is the special triangular flag of the Sikh faith.
The Main Gurdwara Building
The main church hall was finished in 1816. It became a Grade II-listed building in 1973. We don't know who the architect was for sure. However, it might have been Reverend William Jenkins. He designed many Methodist churches around that time. His designs were inspired by the famous Wesley's Chapel in City Road.
The Woolwich chapel is about 16 by 22 meters (52 by 71 feet). The front of the building has five sections and two floors. It has nine windows with rounded tops. The main entrance in the middle has a special porch with columns. The middle three sections stick out a little and have a triangle shape on top.
On the wall below the triangle, there was a stone sign that said "The Methodist Chapel, 1816." Now, a wooden sign covers it. This sign has the words "ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਵੂਲਿਚ - Gurdwara Sahib Woolwich" written on it. The side walls are plain brick with ten windows on each side. At the back of the building, there is a small rounded area and a room that used to be for the church leaders.
Inside, these old Methodist churches were often very simple. The main floor had rows of benches facing the preacher's stand. There were also extra seating areas on balconies around a large opening. This opening allowed everyone to see the preacher.
It was unusual for a Methodist church to have burial spaces underneath. These were for the preacher's family. Today, the two main floors of the building are used as Darbar Sahib Halls. These are the lower and upper prayer halls. They hold the Guru Granth Sahib, which are the holy scriptures of Sikhism. For Sikh worship, the benches were removed. A new flat floor was put in where the balconies used to be.
The Annex Building (Langar Hall)
The building next door, called the annex, was built in 1889–90. It was designed by a local architect named Walter Whincop. This building is not a listed building like the main gurdwara.
The front of the annex building, which is now painted white, has three sections and three floors. It has two small porches on either side. The entrance on the west side was for children going to Sunday school. The entrance on the east side was for soldiers. The original doors were replaced with beautiful wooden and bronze doors from Rajasthan, India.
In the basement, there used to be baths and a café for the soldiers. On the ground floor, they had a reading room and a meeting room. The top floor was for the Sunday school.
Today, this building is mainly used as a langar hall. This is a communal dining room where everyone can enjoy free vegetarian food. There is also a kitchen here. On the top floor, you will find meeting rooms, a library, and living quarters for the Granthi (a Sikh religious official). The basement is used for different activities. It also hosts a Saturday school for students aged 5–18, called the Guru Nanak Khalsa School Greenwich.
See also
- Sikhism in England
- List of gurdwaras in the United Kingdom
- Bathway Quarter
