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03
Nov
Scaffolding removed from Harrogate's new mosque as restoration work continues
Harrogate Islamic Association has given an update on the town's new mosque as scaffolding is removed from the structure.
The mosque, in the former Home Guard Club on the corner of Belford Road and Tower Street, has been in the pipeline for many years.
The association bought the derelict building following a huge fundraising effort in 2022 and work to restore it has progressed ever since.
Scaffolding was taken down this week to reveal a building vastly improved from the derelict eyesore it had become.
The chair of Harrogate Mosque, Babar Khan (centre), with some of the older members of the community: Naiyer Imam, Sabah Allouni, Tahir Nazir and Imam Hasan Muhammad.
'We want to be inclusive'
In an update, Zahed Amanullah, of the Harrogate Islamic Association, said there were still minor elements to complete with the exterior of the former guard club.
He said:
There are just a few minor items to complete on the exterior, primarily the canopy element over the front door on Belford Road, which we are having restored before we replace it.
After that, we will need to restore the area in front of the new front entrance on Tower Street (stone wall and new railing) before the exterior can be considered fully complete.
The mosque premises have served the community in various ways over the last one-and-a-half centuries.
The Stray Ferret visited the mosque in March this year.
At the time, the site had been holding evening prayers after much of the interior had been fitted out.
You can read about our visit here.
Once the building is completed and fully fitted out, the mosque board hopes to be able to open the building up to host talks and public events, and possibly even to serve as a polling station.
Mr Amanullah said:
This is a community mosque – it’s open to all faiths, and we hope they’ll come and take a look. We just want to be inclusive.
A building like this makes people feel they belong here. This is what integration looks like: becoming part of the fabric of the town.
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