
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha (Southall)
'Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha' (SGSS) is a famous
Sikh Gurdwara situated in the
London suburb of
Southall on Havelock Road as well as Park Avenue. Building work at the Havelock Road site commenced in March 2000 and the Gurdwara opened in Sunday 30th
March 2003 in order to accommodate for
Southall's growing Sikh community. The Gurdwara cost £17.5 million to build and much of it came by way of donations from members of the local Sikh community and from a loan provided by
Allied Irish Bank.
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall was established in
England by Sikhs who had emigrated in the fifties and early sixties. By the 1950's, a significant number of Sikhs were living in Britain, and the main congregational gathering was at Shepherd's Bush Gurdwara. To accommodate the Southall Sikhs, the Southall Sikh Cultural Society was established in 1960.
This organisation held Sunday programmes at Shackleton Hall until it moved to 11 Beaconsfield Road. The emigration of Malaysian and Singaporean Sikhs led to the formation of another group - Sri Guru Nanak Singh Sabha. The two groups remained independent until (1964) when they merged as Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall. 1964 also saw the first Gurdwara. It was situated at the Green, and was the headquarters of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha.
The Havelock Road site was purchased in 1967. As a result of the relentless
seva by the
sangat, the dairy was transformed into the Gurdwara in a matter of weeks. The
Khanda was brought in April 1967 to England from the Tosha Khana at
Darbar Sahib Amritsar for
Amrit Sanchar. From those humble beginnings Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall emerged as the leading Gurdwara outside
India. Sunday 29th November 1997 saw Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall move to the Park Avenue site (which was originally purchased in 1984). The move was necessary to allow for the new building at Havelock Road which opened on the 30th March 2003.
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall is located at both Havelock Road and Park Avenue Southall.
In a bid to improve and advance the education of Sikh pupils, the Gurdwara is in the process of setting up a brand new Sikh School - the 'Khalsa School'. This will cater for Sikh children as well as children of other faiths. The proposed site of the school is Norwood Hall, Tentelow Lane,
Southall which was purchased for £2.8 million from
Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College
External links
★
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha's official website.
Still under construction