Madina Mosque, Horsham
Encyclopedia
Madina Mosque is a mosque
in the centre of Horsham
, an ancient market town
in the English county of West Sussex
. It has served the Muslim
community of the town and the surrounding district of Horsham
since 2008. The plain stucco
ed building in which it is housed was originally a Baptist chapel—one of several in the town, which has a long history of Nonconformist
Christian worship. The former Jireh Independent Chapel was in commercial use until Muslims acquired it after a lengthy search for a permanent base.
at a point in the High Weald
of north Sussex where the River Arun
could be crossed. Religious worship was focused on the 12th-century parish church
of St Mary at first, but Protestant
Nonconformism
thrived from the 17th century. One of the many denominations for which chapels were founded between then and the 19th century was the Strict Baptist
community. During a spate of church-building in the 19th and early 20th centuries, three chapels opened for followers of the cause.
A pastor called Mr Raynsford founded the first of these in 1814. His congregation worshipped in a room in a private building at first, but in 1857 a permanent building was erected in nearby Park Terrace East. It was called Jireh Independent Baptist Chapel, although the name Jireh Strict Baptist Chapel was sometimes used as well. The congregation was called "Free Baptist" by 1882. Horsham's second Strict Baptist Chapel, named Rehoboth, was founded in 1834 by seceders
from the congregation; it remains in use by Strict Baptists, but the Jireh Chapel cause failed in the mid-20th century. The last definitive record of its existence was in 1938. The building passed into commercial use and was altered internally and externally, in particular by the addition of a porch. By the start of the 21st century, it was a hairdressing salon.
Meanwhile, a small Muslim
community had developed in the growing town. In about 1994, they first attempted to get permission to open a place of worship. The congregation used an industrial building and then a private house on the Brighton Road, but planning permission
to register these permanently was refused in each case, and there was opposition from local residents. Permission was granted to hold prayer meetings and other activities at the house in 2005, but Horsham District Council rescinded this in 2008, citing complaints about noise and a reluctance to allow a permanent change of use from residential to non-residential. An application was then submitted for conversion of the former Jireh Chapel from a salon into a mosque, and this was approved in May 2008. The chapel originally had a capacity of 150, but since its conversion it can now accommodate 200. Attendance at Friday prayers
is typically around 80.
-style building with a painted stucco
façade. The ground floor is rusticated
, and there are round-arched windows at first-floor level. The exterior was painted after the building's conversion to commercial use, and a Classical-style porch with a pediment
and columns was added.
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the centre of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, an ancient market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the English county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It has served the Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
community of the town and the surrounding district of Horsham
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
since 2008. The plain stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed building in which it is housed was originally a Baptist chapel—one of several in the town, which has a long history of Nonconformist
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
Christian worship. The former Jireh Independent Chapel was in commercial use until Muslims acquired it after a lengthy search for a permanent base.
History
Horsham developed from the 10th century as a market townMarket town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
at a point in the High Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
of north Sussex where the River Arun
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
could be crossed. Religious worship was focused on the 12th-century parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St Mary at first, but Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Nonconformism
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
thrived from the 17th century. One of the many denominations for which chapels were founded between then and the 19th century was the Strict Baptist
Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists, also known as Particular Baptists, are Baptists who believe in a Calvinist or Reformed interpretation of Christian soteriology. The Particular Baptists arose in England in the 17th century and took their namesake from the doctrine of particular redemption.-Further reading:*History...
community. During a spate of church-building in the 19th and early 20th centuries, three chapels opened for followers of the cause.
A pastor called Mr Raynsford founded the first of these in 1814. His congregation worshipped in a room in a private building at first, but in 1857 a permanent building was erected in nearby Park Terrace East. It was called Jireh Independent Baptist Chapel, although the name Jireh Strict Baptist Chapel was sometimes used as well. The congregation was called "Free Baptist" by 1882. Horsham's second Strict Baptist Chapel, named Rehoboth, was founded in 1834 by seceders
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the congregation; it remains in use by Strict Baptists, but the Jireh Chapel cause failed in the mid-20th century. The last definitive record of its existence was in 1938. The building passed into commercial use and was altered internally and externally, in particular by the addition of a porch. By the start of the 21st century, it was a hairdressing salon.
Meanwhile, a small Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
community had developed in the growing town. In about 1994, they first attempted to get permission to open a place of worship. The congregation used an industrial building and then a private house on the Brighton Road, but planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
to register these permanently was refused in each case, and there was opposition from local residents. Permission was granted to hold prayer meetings and other activities at the house in 2005, but Horsham District Council rescinded this in 2008, citing complaints about noise and a reluctance to allow a permanent change of use from residential to non-residential. An application was then submitted for conversion of the former Jireh Chapel from a salon into a mosque, and this was approved in May 2008. The chapel originally had a capacity of 150, but since its conversion it can now accommodate 200. Attendance at Friday prayers
Jumu'ah
Jumu'ah is a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon in lieu of dhuhr...
is typically around 80.
Architecture
The former chapel is a simple ClassicalClassical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
-style building with a painted stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
façade. The ground floor is rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
, and there are round-arched windows at first-floor level. The exterior was painted after the building's conversion to commercial use, and a Classical-style porch with a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
and columns was added.