Watford Jamia Mosque

The Watford Jamia Mosque building started in March 1983 and was opened for the first prayers Thursday April 25th 1985 after many years of hard work by the Muslim community in Watford to raise money. The cost was around £350,000 for the land, buliding the mosque and to buy a house in Vicarage Road for the Imam. Six hundred Muslims gathered for this great day in the life of their community. The carpet which is the same as the Regents Park mosque in London was donated by a Arab sheik. Before all this in 1978 enough had been saved by the community to buy a house in Queen's Road to convert into a mosque and teaching centre. But the noise of early morning and late night prayers upset the neighbours and the association was forced to look for alternative premises. The borough council came to the Musilms aid and premises in Addiscombe Road were set aside as a temporary measure. The Muslim community then raised more than £7,000 to refurbish Addiscombe Road building which was in a bad state to repair.