Thetford: Park on river island to be renamed after Duleep Singh

A statue of Duleep Singh was unveiled in Thetford by The Prince of Wales in 1999

Green space on a river island will be renamed to commemorate the first Sikh known to have settled in the UK.

Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Punjab, lived at Elveden Hall, near Thetford, Norfolk, from 1861.

The area on the River Little Ouse in Thetford will be known as The Park of Maharajah Ranjit and Duleep Singh Park on Butten Island, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Breckland District Council approved the name change at a cabinet meeting.

Ranjit Singh became Maharajah of the Punjab with his coronation in Lahore, in what is now Pakistan, in 1801, uniting most of the Sikh kingdoms.

Duleep Singh was the last of his three sons to succeed him as ruler, before he was ousted by the British in the Anglo Sikh Wars and exiled to Britain in 1854.

The island, pictured left, is the largest of several river islands in Thetford town centre

Duleep Singh finally settled at Elveden Hall - a large country estate and farm about four and a half miles (7km) down the A11 from Thetford in Suffolk.

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The council's Conservative deputy leader Paul Claussen said: "Thetford has a close and highly significant connection to Duleep Singh.

"[His] second son Frederick was one of Thetford's most prominent benefactors, giving the town's its Ancient House as well as his personal collections.

"This connection continues today with Thetford remaining a prominent cultural site for the British Punjabi community and for Punjabi visitors from overseas."

Independent councillor Roy Brame said the town's Sikh community supported the name change.

"They believe that this is a merger between the Sikh cultures, our cultures. We have an ideal position in Butten Island, where [two] rivers meet," he said.

Harminder Singh Gill, who paid for the restoration the statue of Maharajah Duleep Singh on the site in 2019, said: "I hope Butten Island will become a tourist attraction for all communities, as was the diverse army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

"The work taking place on Butten Island is a shining example of cultural collaboration between Thetfordians and Punjabis, offering a unique opportunity for both of our communities to come together in peace and friendship."