Sikh - local history

Local history
Britain has been home to Sikhs since the early 19th century.  At the end of World War 2 more Sikh immigrants came into the UK, many were ex-servicemen. More Sikhs arrived from East Africa in the 1970s and from the Indian sub-continent in the early 1980s.

Both Gravesend and West London were places where Sikhs settled first, and some Sikhs settled in the Bow area. Later they also settled in Newham and Ilford and the Sikhs in Bow mostly moved out of that area. They became successful business people and Sikh communities began to grow.

The history of Gurdwara in Campbell Road
This is the 2nd-oldest Gurdwara in Britain, the oldest is in Shepherd’s Bush. It was opened in 1952, giving the Sikh community in East London a place to worship.

The Campbell Road Gurdwara is still there but the main Gurdwara in Bow is now at Harley Grove. It is a listed building. The Harley Grove Gurdwara used to be a church, then a synagogue before it was sold to the Sikh community.