Abbey Mills Mosque

The Abbey Mills Mosque stands in Stratford, east London, on land once used by a chemical works. The site was bought in 1996 by Anjuman-e-Islahul Muslimeen, a charitable trust linked to Tablighi Jamaat. A temporary building now holds about 2,500 worshippers, while earlier plans promised a much larger mosque. Those plans included a prayer hall for over 9,000, a refectory for 2,000 and an Islamic library within a public garden. The proposals also featured substantial parking, bicycle facilities and a new entrance to West Ham Underground station. Natural habitats on the island site were to be retained, with extensive landscaping and energy-saving measures. The mosque’s history has been marked by controversy over size, funding and safety. Reports described the land as having medium-to-high contamination from mercury, lead, arsenic and asbestos after a century of chemical use. Councillors raised concerns that a mosque of such scale could change the character of the area and damage community relations. Trustees insisted the project would clean the site and relied on small local donations rather than overseas support. They also denied any link to terrorism, stating the group avoids political activity and rejects violence. Visitors to the temporary mosque find a modest building surrounded by open ground near the former Olympic Park. The site remains under threat of demolition as the council seeks to develop housing and businesses. Despite the uncertainty, worshippers continue to gather in the existing structure while legal battles continue. The surroundings include flat marshland and industrial remnants, with West Ham station a short walk away. The mosque’s future is unclear, but for now it serves a local community seeking a place of prayer.