Place Name
Formerly a part of Montreal Place which, along with the corresponding passage Melbourne Place at the other end of the Strand, was named after an overseas city of the Empire. The passageway was laid out and named before the decision to build an Indian High Commission, adjacent, had been taken. India House was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, the architect behind many of New Delhi’s most notable government buildings. It was completed in 1930. This section was renamed by Westminster City Council to mark the 50th anniversary of India’s independence. A plaque explains: “This street was renamed India Place on Republic Day, 26 January 1996, by the Right Worshipful, the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Alan Bradley, in the presence of His Excellency the High Commissioner for India, Dr. L.M. Singhvi.”
