 | |
| Formation | 1951 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Website | https://www.theindiaclub.co.uk/ |
The India Club is a social and dining club on the Strand in London, England. It was established in 1951 by members of the India League under the leadership of Krishna Menon. It is to close in September 2023.
The India Club traces its roots back to the India League, a historic organisation which played a prominent role in the Indian independence movement. [1] The League resolved following India's independence in 1947 that its future role would be to focus on relations between India and the United Kingdom. The India Club was formally set up in 1951 [2] to serve this purpose, under the leadership of V. K. Krishna Menon; founding members included Lady Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru. [3] [4]
The club was originally located in Craven Street off Charing Cross before moving in 1964 to its present home at nearby 143-145 Strand, [4] inside the Hotel Strand Continental. [5]
The India League ran a Free Legal Advice Bureau at the club, which served as a welcoming base for newly arrived migrants from the Indian sub-continent during the mid-twentieth century. [1] The venue was also used as an events space by the Indian Journalist Association, the Indian Workers Association and the Indian Socialist Group of Britain. [1]
Today the space is no longer a members' club and is open to all. Since the 1950s, it has served as a home away from home for members of the Indian diaspora, in its early days one of few places in London serving familiar food. Yadgar Marker and his daughter Phiroza have owned it since the 1990s. [5] The building has retained original colonial features from the time of occupation by the India League. It is the only building in London connected to the India League which has been neither re-developed nor re-purposed. Portraits and photographs of famous historical figures from the Indian independence movement adorn the walls. [6] The National Trust staged an exhibition about the venue's history in 2019. [7] [8]
In September 2017 plans were submitted to Westminster City Council for the building to be partially demolished, replacing the India Club with en-suite hotel bedrooms. [3] [9] [10] In May 2018, Historic England rejected an application for listed status, which would have saved the club, [4] but later that year the council rejected the redevelopment plans after a petition to save the club reached more than 26,000 signatures. [7]
In August 2023, the owners announced that the India Club will close after 17 September 2023. [5]
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