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Thread: Britain's First Mosque

  1. #16
    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    £2.5m to restore mosque
    Nov 1 2007
    by Mary Murtagh, Liverpool Echo



    A £2.5m project has been launched to restore Britain’s first mosque.

    The derelict grade II listed Georgian Brougham Terrace in Tuebrook is set to be transformed into a heritage and education centre.

    The project is a tribute to Liverpool lawyer William Henry Quilliam, who converted to Islam after visiting Morocco in 1887 and changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam.

    Two years later he opened the country’s first mosque and established a large congregation of fellow English converts.

    Now almost 120 years on, the Abdullah Quilliam Society has kick-started a fundraising campaign to restore the historic place of worship to its former glory.

    Last night the appeal got off to a flying start at a special dinner at the Athenaeum, attended by dignitaries including Rt Rev James Jones, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, and Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE, chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain.

    Mr Mumin Khan, chief executive of the Abdullah Quilliam Heritage Centre, said: “The mosque is of national and international importance and we don’t want to lose it. The centre we want to create will act as a bridge between the Muslim and non-Muslim world and dispel some of the myths about Islam.”

    The centre will have a library, regular lectures and artefacts.



    The mosque’s community dissolved in 1908, when Quilliam moved to Turkey. The terrace was subsequently used as a register office.

    marymurtagh@liverpoolecho.co.uk

    Source: Liverpool Echo

  2. #17
    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    I think Mary Murtagh has got her facts,and pic' in the "Echo", slightly wrong!The former mosque, is the building next to,and adjoining, Brougham terrace, and i think there have been photo's posted on here,of this!

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    Last edited by shytalk; 11-02-2007 at 03:15 AM.
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    BEHIND the crumbling facade of a run-down Grade II listed building lies one of Liverpool’s best kept secrets. Britain’s first mosque was set up in the city and campaigners are now trying to raise £2.5m to restore it to its former glory.

    MARY MURTAGH reports . .



    THE pigeons have made it their home. There is a leak in the roof and fungi growing on the walls.

    But in the coming years Brougham Terrace in Everton, where generations of Liverpool people tied the knot, will undergo a multi-million pound renaissance.

    The building will be lovingly restored and a dark and damp storeroom – all that remains of Britain’s first mosque – will be reinstated.
    Fundraisers have a big job ahead of them.

    Empty since 2001, the building must be gutted while protecting the original Georgian features and transformed into a modern and accessible centre open to all.

    The aim is to make the Abdullah Quilliam Heritage Centre a fitting tribute to the Liverpool lawyer whose name it bears.

    Fundraiser Mumin Khan said: “We can’t lose this place because there is 120 years of British Islamic heritage here.

    “That is significant to Liverpool but also to the rest of the UK and the world.

    “We will bring this building back to life and reveal a forgotten part of Liverpool’s history.

    “People who have lived here all their lives have no idea that Britain’s first mosque was in this building. It’s a little known fact but a great claim to fame.
    “We want to bring the mosque back to what it was 120 years ago. We only have one surviving photo to go on but we know that there was prayer five times a day here.”

    The ambitious project, a registered charity, has some prominent supporters including representatives from the city’s Catholic, Anglican and Jewish faith groups, the Saudi and Kuwait governments and Prince Charles.

    But for the project to go from pipedream to reality it needs cash.

    The Abdullah Quilliam Society must generate £2.5m to turn the rundown empty shell of a building into a thriving mosque, library and place of learning once again.

    There will be a cafe, Moroccan theme Islamic garden with water features and palm trees, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, Arabic lessons, courses about Islam and meeting rooms.

    But people from all faiths, neighbours and the local community will be welcome at the Abdullah Quilliam Heritage Centre.

    Mr Khan said: “We want to create an inter-faith centre where people can come and learn about Islam.

    “When the mosque is restored, and the centre is open, it will attract visitors from around the world and be a really positive thing for Liverpool.”

    Philanthropist who did great works



    WILLIAM Quilliam was born in 1856 and after training at the Liverpool Institute became a solicitor.

    On a trip to north Africa during 1882-3 he developed an interest in Islam and at the age of 31 converted and changed his name to Abdullah.

    Charismatic and articulate if a little eccentric he was a compelling public speaker and conducted lectures about Islam.

    He convinced at least 150 others to convert including his sons and mother.
    He set up the Liverpool Mosque and Institute in 8 - 12 Brougham Terrace in 1889, making history as he did so.

    It was officially opened on Christmas Day in 1889 with a special breakfast for 130 of the city's children.

    But the Victorian philanthropist made the address much more than just a place of worship.

    He set up a printing press from which two internationally recognised journals were produced and established a school, library, reading room, museum and science laboratory.

    A children’s home for illegitimate youngsters was founded in Kensington and a weekly debating society set up.

    During a visit to Liverpool the Sultan of Turkey, the last Ottoman emperor, gave Quilliam the title of Sheikh al-Islam of Britain – leader of British Muslims.

    His efforts were also honoured by the Sultan of Morocco, the Shah of Persia and the Sultan of Afghanistan.

    But his attempts to champion Islam were not welcomed in some quarters.

    On one occasion hundreds of protestors pelted worshippers leaving the mosque with missiles and Quilliam was sent death threats.

    He left for Turkey in 1908 and the Institute fell into decline.

    The properties were sold to the local authority and number eight Brougham Terrace became home to the Liverpool Register Office.

    The mosque became a strong room for records and many of the original features were lost.

    Share your story

    FUNDRAISERS want to hear from anyone who married at the Register Office and have stories, memories or photographs they wish to share.

    There are plans to restore one of the rooms in the building as it would have been when marriages took place there.

    The project organisers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has photographs which can be used to replicate the room where couples tied the knot.

    Fundraiser Mumin Khan said: “People in Liverpool have fond memories of this building and I think they would hate to see it in the state it is in today.

    “We would like to hear from people who remember what it was like.”

    For more information contact info@abdullahquilliamsociety.org.uk

    marymurtagh@liverpoolecho.co.uk
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  5. #20
    Shapers
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    Like all historical buildings in Liverpool it should be preserved. It is very much part of our culture.

  6. #21
    Senior Member ChrisGeorge's Avatar
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    Hi all

    I reported the information about Liverpool being the place where Britain's first mosque was located in "I Beg to Report" in Ripperologist, realizing that it represented an interesting and significant sidelight on the Victorian era. I am glad to know that the building in Brougham Terrace is still there and I too hope it will be preserved.

    All the best

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    Editor, Loch Raven Review
    http://christophertgeorge.blogspot.com/
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    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    UK’s first mosque to get £2.5m repair work
    Mar 13 2008
    by Mary Murtagh, Liverpool Echo



    WORK has started on a £2.5m project to restore Britain’s first mosque.

    The derelict grade II listed Georgian Brougham Terrace in Tuebrook is to be transformed into a heritage and education centre.

    This month work began on treating the dry rot in the timbers and repairing the roof to make it watertight.

    Now fundraisers are facing a race against time to raise £150,000 to cover the cost of the work.

    The project is a tribute to Liverpool lawyer William Henry Quilliam, who converted to Islam after visiting Morocco in 1887 and changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam.

    Source: Liverpool Echo

  8. #23
    KenO kenotoole123@msn.com's Avatar
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    He also had a 'Teddy-Bear'...named...'Mohammed'....

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by kenotoole123@msn.com View Post
    He also had a 'Teddy-Bear'...named...'Mohammed'....
    your in trouble now mate

  10. #25
    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    Wink A Cross to . . . uh, Bear


  11. #26
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    Default Revamp for England's first mosque

    A ?3m project to refurbish what is believed to be England's first mosque gets under way this month.

    The restoration of the Grade II listed building at Number 8 Brougham Terrace in Liverpool will begin after emergency repairs to the roof are completed.

    The mosque was opened on Christmas Day 1889 by Henry William Quilliam, who converted to Islam in 1887, adopting the name Abdullah Quilliam.

    The mosque stopped running in 1908 when Abdullah Quilliam went travelling.

    Dr Mohammad Akbar Ali, 85, set up the Abdullah Quilliam Society in 1997 with the intention of restoring the mosque to its former glory.

    Galib Khan, the current chairman of the Abdullah Quilliam Society, said he hoped part of the building would be opened in the next six months.

    What the new mosque in Liverpool will look like
    About ?2.5m still needs to be raised

    He said: "It's a heritage site for us. This truly is the birthplace of Islam in Britain.

    "We want to make it into a heritage centre for Islamic culture and interfaith dialogue.

    "We will start on the refurbishment once we have finalised the lease arrangements with the city council."

    The emergency repairs to the roof cost about ?100,000 and ?2.5m still needs to be raised towards the restoration project.

    Mumin Khan, chief executive of the Abdullah Quilliam Society, said: "We have reached a milestone and breakthrough by raising more than a quarter of a million pounds in pledges for the work with one of the Bangladeshi-language channels, Channel S.

    "This allows us to start the refurbishment phase of the project while carrying out further fundraising."

    A spokesman for English Heritage, the Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, said: "It is an immensely important monument to Islam in Britain and it is believed to be England's earliest mosque."

    The refurbishment work is due to begin this month.

    BBC Liverpool
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  12. #27
    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
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    Arrow The Independent

    Britain's first mosque to be reborn ? after more than a century

    More than a century after falling into disuse, crumbling buildings get new life

    By Karl Mansfield
    Friday, 2 January 2009

    The small brick building in a Liverpool terrace is falling apart, it even needs a new roof, but this ramshackle structure at 8 Brougham Terrace, West Derby Street, was Britain's first mosque.

    The Grade II listed building has not been used as a place of worship for at least a century but the historical site is to be rebuilt and restored by the Abdullah Quilliam Society, a private organisation that says the whole project will cost ?3m.

    Henry William Quilliam opened the mosque on Christmas day in 1889. He was the son of a wealthy man who converted to Islam in 1887 after a visit to Morocco, adopting the name Abdullah. The building of his Islamic centre also included an orphanage as well as a printing press in the basement.

    The new structure, when work is completed in 2011, will include the restored mosque, a new mosque, a courtyard, museum, art gallery, learning centre for interfaith work, library and cafe. Work is expected to start this month.


    An artist's impression of how the new centre will look

    More...

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