When I visited Wimbledon, I came to know that very close to the Stadium is the oldest Buddhist Temple in London and obviously I had to go. It was at a 15 mins walk distance. The place from outside is deceiving! There's a golden relief sculpture of a wheel and 2 deers. Near the entrance is the office. Till this point, it just looks like a regular concrete building.
Its affiliated to the Royal Thai Embassy in London. It was opened in Aug 1, 1966 by the King & Queen of Thailand during their visit here. But then it was at a different location. Later by 1975-76, the present location was bought and the temple was shifted here!
Presently temple is in the centre of an area of 4 acre. That is what, as I said, is completely invisible from outside. Beyond the office & home from the residents is the actual temple. Its in the perfectly Thai architecture.
The main section is called the Uposatha Hal which has a huge golden sculpture of Buddha which was gifted by the committee of the Foundation of Buddhist Temple in London. This is a replica of the sculpture in Buddhasihing in the National Museum in Bangkok. There's also a huge black colored Buddha made of bronze gifted by the King of Thailand in 1966. Also are some candles, vases, golden lotuses, and some chatras.
But beyond all this, the most gorgeous thing is the gorgeous murals all around. These murals depict the life of Buddha - his birth, enlightenment, death and the 3 worlds! These were created here by various artists. Esp that image depicting Buddha in his last years was so intricate with all the detailing of his frail body with rib cage jutting out!
Out of this main section, all around the temple is a gorgeous waterbody filled with ducks and various other birds. In some sections it almost looks like a forest. There are Buddhas under several trees! Its a nature's haven!!!
P.S: Again at 15 more minutes of walk from here is the Windmill Museum. Unfortunately my visit to this place proved vain. The blades of the windmill had been removed for repair & renovation and the £2 entrance fee had to be paid in cash and unfortunately I didn't have even a penny of cash in hand and the cash machine was far away!!!
To Get There:
Nearest Tube Station: Wimbledon.