English Sikhs number over 520,000 people and account for 0.9% of England's population in 2021, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. In 2006 there were 352 gurdwaras in England.[Gurharpal Singh and Darshan Singh Tatla, 'Sikhs in Britain: The Making of a Community' (Zed, 2006) The largest Sikh populations in the UK are in the West Midlands and Greater London.

History The permanent arrival of Sikhism in England is dated to 1850 A.D. with the arrival of Maharajah Duleep Singh (last ruler of the Sikh Empire). The first Sikh place of worship, called a Gurdwara, was opened in 1911 in London and this was partly funded by the Maharaja of Patiala. Prior to this the first Sikh Society called Khalsa Jatha was formed in 1908.Sikhism in Leicester bbc.co.uk, Sikh Dharamsala, London, accessed 1 June 2022

In 2019, the statue of Sikh soldier was unveiled in the West Yorkshire to commemorate the Sikhs martyrs in the World War I and World War II.

Demographics

Geographical Distribution + Top ten English local authorities by Sikh population, 2021 Local authority PopulationSandwell 39,252 Birmingham 33,126 Wolverhampton 31,769 Ealing 28,491 Hillingdon 26,339 Hounslow 24,677 Slough 17,985 Redbridge 17,622 Coventry 17,297 Walsall 17,148 + Top ten English local authorities by Sikh proportion, 2021 Local authority PercentageWolverhampton 12.0%Sandwell11.5%Slough11.3%Hillingdon8.6%Hounslow8.6%Gravesham 8.0%Ealing7.8%Oadby and Wigston7.5%Walsall6.0%Redbridge5.7% + English Sikhs by region (2001−2021)Region202120112001 Pop.Pop.Pop. West Midlands 172,398 133,681 103,870 London 144,543 126,134 104,230 South East 74,348 54,941 37,735 East Midlands 53,950 44,335 33,551 East 24,284 18,213 13,365 Yorkshire and the Humber 24,034 22,179 18,711 North West 11,862 8,857 6,487 South West 7,465 5,892 4,614 North East 7,206 5,964 4,780 England 520,092 420,196 327,343

National and Ethnic Origins Between 2001 and 2011, the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as Indian declined from 91.6% to 74.0%, while the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as "Other Asian" rose from 4.6% to 12.0% and the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as "Other Ethnic group" rose from 0.7% to 9.5%.

+ English Sikhs by National and Ethnic Origins200120112021 Number % Number % Number %Asian 315,144 366,033 422,906 – Indian 299,717 310,845 383,954 – Pakistani 343 3,268 585 – Chinese 76 1,000 85 – Bangladeshi 112 657 174 – Other Asian 14,896 50,263 38,108 White 6,625 7,232 3,269 – British 5,953 5,220 2,479 – Irish 146 147 70 – Irish Traveller 89 82 – Roma 42 – Other White 526 1,776 596 Mixed 2,722 5,025 6,906 – White and Asian 2,083 3,768 5,516 – White and Black Caribbean 63 269 102 – White and Black African 30 104 51 – Other Mixed 546 884 1,237 Black 614 1,426 300 – African 408 553 139 – Caribbean 140 347 108 – Other Black 66 526 53 Arab 494 80 Other Ethnic group 2,238 39,986 86,830 TOTAL 327,343 420,196

Sikh Schools There are currently 13 Sikh Schools in England that teach the national curriculum alongside Sikh values. These schools are often oversubscribed and outperform regular schools, for example the Nishkam High School in Birmingham was recently rated by Ofsted as outstanding in every area. Nishkam High School Ofsted report, accessed 1 October 2014 The Nishkam School Trust is also developing a sister school in West London, which is an area with a large Sikh community, which is due to open in September 2016. Nishkam Schools Trust on West London site, accessed 1 October 2014

The schools include:

Akaal Primary School, Derby Atam Academy, Romford Falcons Primary School, Leicester Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Chigwell Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Hayes Khalsa Primary School, Slough Khalsa Primary School, Southall Pioneer Secondary Academy, Stoke Poges Nishkam Nursery & Primary School, Birmingham Nishkam High School, Birmingham Nishkam School West London, Isleworth Seva School, Coventry The Khalsa Academy, Wolverhampton

Gurdwaras

Southall, in London, is home to the largest Sikh temple outside India, known as Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. museumoflondon.org.uk, accessed 15 January 2009 It opened in 2003 after almost three years construction and a cost of £17 million. Another large Gurdwara in Gravesend began construction in 2001, and was officially opened in November 2010 . In Sunderland, a former Church of England church has been transformed into a Sikh Gurdwara by the Sunderland Sikh Association.

Many cities, especially those with large Sikh communities, now have several Gurdwaras to cater to their growing congregations. For example, Bradford is a city that now has 6 Gurdwaras. Many Gurdwaras will have had other uses and have been converted from industrial buildings to even former churches that have closed down. Increasingly, Gurdwaras are being purposely built, The Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara in Bradford is an example of a purpose-built Gurdwara. Gurdwaras in Bradford, accessed on 1 October 2014

Notable British Sikh organisations In addition to Gurdwaras there are now a variety of additional organisations which have been setup by Sikhs to support the community:

British Sikh Report City Sikhs Gurdwara Sahib Leamington and Warwick Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Nishkam SWAT Sangat TV Sikh Pioneers & Sikh Light Infantry Association UK Sikh Channel Sikh Federation (UK) The Sikh Awards

Sikh Media Sikhs in England have managed to establish a range of media outlets to propagate and encourage dialogue between Sikhs across the country, predominantly in Punjabi, although increasingly media is produced in English to include the new generation. Many Sikhs still speak Punjabi as a first and second language. In England there are currently no less than 4 Sky channels including, Sikh Channel, Sikh TV, Akaal Channel and Sangat TV, all are also broadcast worldwide and on the internet. Future of Sikh Media, accessed on 1 October 2014 There are now also radio stations, which broadcast Gurbani at different times during the morning and evening hours.

In radio there are numerous stations broadcast on analogue in areas with large Sikh communities as well as internationally on the Sky platform, since 2001 Sukh Sagar on Sky channel 0150 is one such station that was also the world's first 24-hour Gurbani (Sikh prayer) radio station. Sukh Sagar radio station, accessed on 1 October 2014

See also List of British Sikhs Sikhism in the United Kingdom Sikhism in Scotland Sikhism in Wales Religion in England Gurdwaras in England

References

External links National Network of British Sikh Professionals Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha's official website Information Portal of the Sikh faith