East India House

East India House stood in Leadenhall Street in the City of London. It began in 1648 when the East India Company moved into Craven House, a late Elizabethan mansion. Before that the Company had occupied rooms in Philpot Lane and Crosby Hall. By 1661 the building was known as East India House and its frontage carried painted ships and a wooden seaman. The Company bought the property in stages between 1710 and 1733. By the 1720s the house was judged too small and decayed, so the Company rebuilt it completely. The rebuilt East India House opened in 1729, designed by Theodore Jacobsen with John James in charge on site. Its five-bay front rose three storeys with a hidden attic behind a balustrade. Inside, the Directors’ Court Room held a marble chimneypiece by Michael Rysbrack and six canvases by George Lambert and Samuel Scott. A later extension housed the Company’s museum and library. Charles Lamb worked there as a clerk for thirty-three years, walking daily from Fish Street Hill and Fenchurch Street. The building served the Company until 1858, when it became the India Office. In 1861 it was demolished and replaced by the Lloyd’s building. Some fittings and artworks survive in India House and the British Library. Engravings and a wash drawing by Samuel Wale record its appearance before demolition.