Religion in London

{{Gallery

|title=Distribution of religions in Greater London according to the 2011 census.

|width=225

|align=center

|File:Christianity_Greater_London_2011_census.png|Christianity

|File:Islam Greater London 2011 census.png|Islam

|File:Judaism Greater London 2011 census.png|Judaism

|File:Hinduism Greater London 2011 census.png|Hinduism

|File:Sikhism Greater London 2011 census.png|Sikhism

|File:Buddhism Greater London 2011 census.png|Buddhism

|File:Other Religion Greater London 2011 census.png|Other religion

|File:Noreligion Greater London 2011 census.png|No religion

}}

File:Saint.pauls.from.ludgate.hill.arp.750pix.jpg|St Paul's Cathedral, the main Anglican church north of the Thames

File:Southwark Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 665426.jpg|Southwark Cathedral, its southern counterpart

File:Westminster cathedral front.jpg|Westminster Cathedral, the main Catholic church of London

Historically, London has been predominantly Christian. This is clear from the large number of churches around the area, particularly in the City of London, which alone contains around 50 churches. According to a 2000 report, the biggest Christian denomination in London is Catholicism (35% of the Christian population), followed by Anglicanism (33%), Pentecostals (7%) and Orthodox (6%).{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/24/london-more-religious-than-rest-britain-report-finds | title=London more religious than rest of Britain, report finds | newspaper=The Guardian | date=23 June 2020 | last1=Sherwood | first1=Harriet }}

The Archbishop of Canterbury's of the Church of England main residence is at Lambeth Palace. Most parts of London north of the Thames and west of the River Lee are within the diocese of London under the Bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral in the City; parishes east of the River Lee are within the Diocese of Chelmsford; and most parts south of the river are administered from Southwark Cathedral as the diocese of Southwark. Important national and royal ceremonies are divided between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey.

The pre-eminent Catholic cathedral in England and Wales is Westminster Cathedral, from which the Archbishop of Westminster leads the English and Welsh Catholic churches. Other Christian denominations also have headquarters in the city, including the United Reformed Church, the Salvation Army, and the Quakers, and immigrant communities have established their own denominations or dioceses (e.g. the Eastern Orthodox Church). Many evangelical denominations also have church buildings in the city.

File:Metropolitan Tabernacle, 26 August 2012.jpg in Elephant & Castle]]

The largest nonconformist church is the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

File:London Central Mosque3.JPG in Regents Park, London.]]

{{Main|Islam in London}}

Islam is London's second-largest religion. Muslims make up 15% of London's population. There were 1,318,755 Muslims reported in the 2021 census in the Greater London area.

London's first mosque was established by Mohamad Dollie in 1895, in modern-day Camden.{{Cite web |last=Birt |first=Yahya |date=2020-02-25 |title=A glimpse of Victorian Muslim London from the Ottoman Archives |url=https://yahyabirt.medium.com/a-glimpse-of-victorian-muslim-london-from-the-ottoman-archives-27089bc285ae |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=Medium |language=en}} The East London Mosque is the largest Muslim centre in Central Europe. London Central Mosque is a locally well-known landmark on the edge of Regent's Park, and there are many other mosques in the city.

File:London Temple.jpg, one of the largest temples of Hinduism in Europe]]

Over half of the UK's Hindu population lives in London, where they make up 5% of the population. British Hindus primarily live in Western London; however, every borough has a significant Hindu population and, as per the 2011 census, the London borough of Harrow has the largest concentration of Hindus at 25%.

The Hindu temple at Neasden was the largest temple of Hinduism in Europe[https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/05/19/hindu_london_feature.shtml Hindu London], BBC, 6 June 2005. URL accessed on 5 June 2006. until the opening of the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple in Tividale in 2006.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/5276644.stm Opening for biggest Hindu temple] BBC, 23 August 2006. URL accessed on August 28, 2006. Other temples are in nearby Wembley, Harrow and Willesden, as well as Wimbledon and Newham in South and East London.

Hare Krishna are sometimes seen on the streets of London, particularly near the Radha Krishna Temple in Soho.

File:New West End Synagogue interior.JPG]]

Over two-thirds of British Jews live in London, which ranks thirteenth in the world as a Jewish population centre.[http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/concepts/demography/demtables.html#10 Metropolitan Areas With Largest Jewish Populations, 1 Jan 2002] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011105208/http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/concepts/demography/demtables.html |date=2007-10-11 }} www.jafi.org.il There are significant Jewish communities in parts of north London such as Stamford Hill and Golders Green.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2004/08/11/communities_jewish_feature.shtml BBC London feature on Jewish communities, 11 Aug 2004] www.bbc.co.uk There are currently two eruvin in London; one that covers Hendon, Golders Green, and Hampstead Garden Suburb,{{cite web |url=http://www.nwlondoneruv.org/ |title=NW London Eruv Website |accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=North West London Eruv Committee}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/living/eruv_1.shtml |title=Eruvs in Britain |accessdate=2007-10-17 |date=2006-07-20 |work=Religion & Ethics - Judaism |publisher=BBC}} and another in Edgware.{{cite web |url=http://www.edgwareeruv.org/ |title=The Edgware Eruv Website |accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=Edgware Eruv Committee}} There are two more planned eruvin: one in Stanmore,{{cite web |url=http://www.stanmore-eruv.org.uk/ |title=Welcome To The Stanmore Eruv |accessdate=2010-08-02}} and one covering Elstree/Borehamwood.{{cite web |url=http://www.eboreruv.org/ |title=Elstree & Borehamwood Eruv homepage |accessdate=2007-11-12 |publisher=Ebor Eruv Charitable Trust}}

The first written record of Jewish settlement in London dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times. The Bevis Marks Synagogue, built in 1701 in the City of London, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use. In 1899, a map was published showing, by colour, the proportion of the Jewish population to other residents of East London, street by street. It illustrates clearly the predominantly Jewish population at the time in the areas of Whitechapel, Spitalfields, and Mile End in particular.[http://www.movinghere.org.uk/search/catalogue.asp?sequence=5&resourcetypeID=2&recordID=56004 Jewish East London 1899]

File:Gurdwara.Sri.Guru.Singh.Sabha.Southall.jpg in Southall.]]

London has a sizable Sikh population, most of whom live in the west of the city in areas such as Southall, Hounslow, and Hayes. In southeast London, there are some Sikhs in Bexleyheath, Erith, Sidcup, Plumstead, and Woolwich. In northeast London, there are some in North Newham and Ilford. In northwest London, some live in northwest Brent and some parts of Harrow. The largest Sikh temple in London (and outside India) is Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall.{{cite web |title=£17m Sikh temple opens |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2898761.stm |publisher=BBC News Online |date=2003-03-30 |accessdate=2009-12-08}}

{{unreferenced section|date=August 2023}}

Roughly one in four Londoners have no religion, and much of London's civic life and civil society is secular in the sense that it has no religious character.

To the extent that non-religious movements have actively organised in the UK, many organise nationally from London. The non-religious humanist movement in the UK largely began in London in the 19th century with the foundation of various "ethical churches" and "ethical societies". Over time, these groups came to form the basis of non-religious charities in the UK: Conway Hall, based in the former South Place Ethical Society in Holborn, and Humanists UK, which was formed by the merger of the UK's remaining ethical societies. Of Humanists UK's London chapters, the largest is the Central London Humanist Group, which frequently meets at Conway Hall.

The 19th-century non-religious congregational model of the ethical churches still persists to some extent. The non-religious Sunday Assembly movement began in London in 2013. Unitarian groups in Islington and Hackney also now organise under the umbrella of the "New Unity" church, which describes itself as "a non-religious church".

{{Portal|London|Religion

}}

• Wembley’s Conference of Living Religions 1924
• List of churches in London
• Demographics of London
• Religion in England

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/RWWC/Themes/1301/ Reassessing what we collect website] History of minority religions in London with objects and images

{{DEFAULTSORT:Religion In London}}