Religion in London
London has centres of worship for many faiths. According to the 2021 Census, the largest religious groupings are Christians (40.66%), followed by those of no religion (27.05%), Muslims (14.99%), no response (7%), Hindus (5.15%), Jews (1.65%), Sikhs (1.64%), Buddhists (1.0%), and others (0.9%).[1]
Distribution
Christianity
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St Paul's Cathedral, the main Anglican church north of the Thames
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Southwark Cathedral, its southern counterpart
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Westminster Cathedral, the main Catholic church of London
Historically, London has been predominantly Christian. This is clear from the large number of churches around the area, particularly in the City of London, which alone contains around 50 churches. The Church of England is the primary denomination, and the Archbishop of Canterbury's main residence is at Lambeth Palace. Most parts of London north of the Thames and west of the River Lee are within the diocese of London under the Bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral in the City; parishes east of the River Lee are within the Diocese of Chelmsford; and most parts south of the river are administered from Southwark Cathedral as the diocese of Southwark. Important national and royal ceremonies are divided between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey.
The preeminent Catholic cathedral in
The largest nonconformist church is the Metropolitan Tabernacle.
Islam
London's first mosque was established by Mohamad Dollie in 1895, in modern-day Camden.[2] The East London Mosque is the largest Muslim centre in central Europe. London Central Mosque is a locally well-known landmark on the edge of Regent's Park, and there are many other mosques in the city.
Hinduism
Over half of the UK's Hindu population lives in London, where they make up 5% of the population. British Hindus primarily live in Western London; however, every borough has a significant Hindu population and, as per the 2011 census, the London borough of Harrow has the largest concentration of Hindus at 25%.
The
Hare Krishna are sometimes seen on the streets of London, particularly near the Radha Krishna Temple in Soho.
Judaism
Over two-thirds of British Jews live in London, which ranks thirteenth in the world as a Jewish population centre.[5] There are significant Jewish communities in parts of north London such as Stamford Hill and Golders Green.[6] There are currently two eruvin in London; one that covers Hendon, Golders Green, and Hampstead Garden Suburb,[7][8] and another in Edgware.[9] There are two more planned eruvin: one in Stanmore,[10] and one covering Elstree/Borehamwood.[11]
The first written record of Jewish settlement in London dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times. The Bevis Marks Synagogue, built in 1701 in the city of London, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use. In 1899, a map was published showing, by colour, the proportion of the Jewish population to other residents of East London, street by street. It illustrates clearly the predominantly Jewish population at the time in the areas of Whitechapel, Spitalfields, and Mile End in particular.[12]
Sikhism
London has a sizable
Irreligion
Roughly one in five Londoners have no religion, and much of London's civic life and civil society is secular in the sense that it has no religious character.
To the extent that non-religious movements have actively organised in the UK, many organise nationally from London. The non-religious
The 19th-century non-religious congregational model of the ethical churches still persists to some extent. The non-religious Sunday Assembly movement began in London in 2013. Unitarian groups in Islington and Hackney also now organise under the umbrella of the "New Unity" church, which describes itself as "a non-religious church".
See also
- Wembley’s Conference of Living Religions 1924
- List of churches in London
- Demographics of London
- Religion in England
References
- ^ a b c "Religion". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ Birt, Yahya (2020-02-25). "A glimpse of Victorian Muslim London from the Ottoman Archives". Medium. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- ^ Hindu London, BBC, 6 June 2005. URL accessed on 5 June 2006.
- ^ Opening for biggest Hindu temple BBC, 23 August 2006. URL accessed on August 28, 2006.
- ^ Metropolitan Areas With Largest Jewish Populations, 1 Jan 2002 Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine www.jafi.org.il
- ^ BBC London feature on Jewish communities, 11 Aug 2004 www.bbc.co.uk
- ^ "NW London Eruv Website". North West London Eruv Committee. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
- ^ "Eruvs in Britain". Religion & Ethics - Judaism. BBC. 2006-07-20. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
- ^ "The Edgware Eruv Website". Edgware Eruv Committee. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
- ^ "Welcome To The Stanmore Eruv". Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ "Elstree & Borehamwood Eruv homepage". Ebor Eruv Charitable Trust. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ Jewish East London 1899
- ^ "£17m Sikh temple opens". BBC News Online. 2003-03-30. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
External links
- Reassessing what we collect website History of minority religions in London with objects and images