The Muslim Burial Ground, in the town of Woking in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, was the original resting place of two dozen

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

soldiers who died during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It is now a peace garden dedicated to all the Muslim soldiers of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

who died during both wars. The site measures about by and is located in the southeast corner of

Horsell Common Horsell Common is a open space in Horsell, near Woking in Surrey. It is owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society. An area of is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special ...

about off Monument Road. It is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Cemetery

Large numbers of men from the Indian subcontinent fought on the Western Front during

. Some of those who were injured were moved to hospitals on the English south coast including one at

Brighton Pavilion The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Pri ...

. Of those, nineteen Muslims died and were buried here. The burial ground was created, at least in part, to counteract German propaganda that Muslim Indian soldiers were not being buried according to their religious rites. The site was on land compulsorily purchased from the

Earl of Onslow Earl of Onslow, of Onslow in the County of Shropshire and of Clandon Park in the County of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for George Onslow, 4th Baron Onslow. History The Onslow family descends ...

and chosen for its proximity to the Shah Jahan Mosque, the first purpose-built mosque in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. A further five men who died during

were also buried here.

Neglect and deterioration

In the 1960s the site was becoming subject to vandalism so, in 1968, the bodies were transferred to the Military Cemetery at Brookwood. However, this also meant that the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

ceased further maintenance of the site, which became overgrown and further vandalised. Ownership reverted to the Horsell Common Preservation Society, the owners of the surrounding common in succession to the Earl of Onslow.

Restoration

In the 1990s, work was undertaken to clear the vegetation and stabilised the walls, as a result of financial support from a local resident of Woking, the musician

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

. In 2011, Woking Borough Council, working in conjunction with the Horsell Common Preservation Society, received a grant from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

, which enabled the restoration of the walls and chatri. In November 2015, the empty interior of the burial ground was landscaped to create a Peace Memorial Garden, dedicated to all the Muslim soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in World War I and II. The garden brings together the cultural expression of the traditional Islamic Garden with the natural elements of the Common. The original walls and

chhatri ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

of the burial ground were retained and now surround a reflecting pond fed by a rill and small waterfall from an upper pool. By this is a memorial stone engraved with the names of the original burials, which acts as the garden’s focus.

Himalayan Birch ''Betula utilis'', the Himalayan birch (''bhojpatra'', sa, भूर्ज ''bhūrjá''), is a deciduous tree native to the Western Himalayas, growing at elevations up to . The Latin specific epithet ''utilis'' means "useful", and refers to the ...

trees planted around the pool also symbolise the servicemen who died. The architect Jeremy Poll, of the Radley House Partnership, was responsible for the restoration of the walls and chatri, whilst Terra Firma Landscape Architects Ltd, were responsible for the design and implementation of the garden.

References

External links

A Muslim trail in Woking
on the untoldLondon website * {{NHLE , num=1236560
Information, with imagery, about the garden renovation and the integration between local English and Islamic landscape architecture and design elements
British military memorials and cemeteries Cemeteries in Surrey Grade II listed buildings in Surrey Grade II listed monuments and memorials Islam in the United Kingdom Muslim cemeteries Peace gardens Woking