Some History
Prior to 1955 weekly congregations were held at the house of Charan Singh (site now occupied by a shopping centre), after this time the size of the congregations grew to the extent that a house was purchased for worshipping in Edwin Street. The building that is now the Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara (left) was purchased in 1968 and immediately became the focal point of the sikh community. (Photographs of the official opening on 17th November 1968 are now available.) The building has over the years had extensive building work done to it(all financed from donations) and now there is no mistaking it for anything other than a gurdwara. Not only has the gurdwara been the focal point of spritual activities, it has also been heavily involved in sporting activities. There has been a Guru Nanak FC (football club) team and Kabbadi team for over two decades during which time both have won many trophies and participated in hundreds of events.
As well as the main gurdwara, the committee has now purchased (99 year lease) another site not too far from the main building. This new site now not only has a gurdwara it also boasts a fully equiped gymnasium together with playing field and car park. To illustrate the amount of influence the community now has, the local council has named the road this new site is situated on Khalsa Avenue. In additional, in 1997 Gravesend had Kent's first Sikh mayor.
