The India Club traces its roots back to the India League, a historic organisation which played a prominent role in the Indian independence movement. 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 to serve this purpose. Originally located in Craven Street off Charing Cross, within a couple of years, the India Club moved across to its present home at nearby 143-145 Strand. This Edwardian building borders the Somerset House estate and contains a bar, lounge and restaurant. Its upper floors include accommodation that historically housed leading Indian intellectuals, public figures, journalists and those newly arrived to Britain. With additions such as the India League's Free Legal Advice Bureau and the Research and Study Unit, this became the operational base of the India League's post-independence activities. It also served as a welcoming base for newly arrived migrants from the Indian sub-continent during the mid-twentieth century. Today the space is no longer a members' club and is open to all. 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. It continues to be frequented by diplomats and expats as well as journalists, scholars and the wider public. True to its original vision, it is also a hub for various Indo-British groups including the Indian Journalists Association, Calcutta Rowing Club, Goan Association and the Curry Club. There is a on the second floor serving home-cooked style South Indian food. The National Trust staged an exhibition about the venue's history in 2019. Oral histories of individuals connected with the India Club's history is permanently housed at The British Library.
Proposed demolition
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. This would have required the closure of the India Club. A petition to save the club reached over 26,000 signatures, leading the council to reject the redevelopment plans. Some petition comments attested to India Club at 143-145 Strand being an important focal point for London’s large Indian heritage community during the mid-20th century wave of immigration, and to the India Club being a London institution, important to those living in the city. They described a range of attachments to the Club that go back in some cases to the 1950s, and comments setting out generations of visitors to the spot. Its preservation is an enduring symbol of Indo-British friendship.
