Gurdwara

February 9, 2014February 9, 2014 / mikeosbornphoto / 15 Comments

A gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship, and the largest temple in Europe is in the west London suburb of Southall.

I visited as part of my faith buildings project, which has taken me from mosque to synagogue via Catholic cathedrals and Anglican village churches.

This was another experience, not just an exercise in taking photographs. I had to remove my shoes before entering, and cover my hair with an orange bandana – both men and women must wear head coverings.

The main prayer hall in this temple, which opened in 2003, is expansive. The ‘altar’ houses the Sikh holy book and is attended at all times as the faithful come and pay their respects and leave contributions.

I was left to take pictures without any objection, and then invited to eat at the canteen downstairs, where vegetarian food is served free of charge.

Here, I felt happy about including worshippers in photographs. They felt like the life and soul of this temple, a lavish example of architecture seemingly built for them.

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Faith buildings

January 5, 2014October 9, 2021 / mikeosbornphoto / 22 Comments

They come all in manner of shapes and sizes, for an array of worshipful purposes.

Even if you don’t hold a particular faith (I fall into that category), it’s hard not to find these buildings impressive and moving on some level.

They are invariably engaging to capture in photographs, occasionally challenging in the dim of candlelight. In some cases, you are not permitted to use your camera.

This tiny fraction of faith buildings I’ve had the pleasure of visiting encompasses six religions. Each place is arresting in its own way, while they all have a shared mystique.

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: St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry, Northern Ireland – Catholicism

: Neasden Temple, London – Hinduism

: Russian Orthodox Church, Gunnersbury, London

: Greensted Church, Essex – Anglicanism

: London Central Mosque – Islam

: New West End Synagogue, London – Judaism

: Pennyburn Chapel, Derry, Northern Ireland – Catholicism

: Southwark Cathedral, London – Anglicanism

: Neasden Temple – Hinduism

: New West End Synagogue, London – Judaism

: St Patrick’s Cathedral, Derry, Northern Ireland – Catholicism

: London Central Mosque – Islam

Beneath the dome

December 3, 2013December 3, 2013 / mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

A beautiful centrepiece in this place of worship. Glowing, golden, symmetrical and lined with the intricate swirls of classical Arabic text and embossed patterns.

It could be the United Arab Emirates, Egypt or Morocco. More on the story of the dome in days to come…

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