Morgan House

Morgan House is a British colonial mansion in Kalimpong, in the Kalimpong district of West Bengal, India. It was built in the early 1930s by George Morgan, an English jute baron, and is said to commemorate the wedding of an indigo plantation owner with Morgan. The house stands on a sixteen-acre estate atop Durpindara hill, about three kilometres from the centre of Kalimpong town, with views of the Kangchenjunga mountain range and the Relli, Kapher, Deolo and Labha valleys. The estate is surrounded by the Kalimpong Cantonment area. By road it lies roughly 75 km from Siliguri, 52 km from Darjeeling and 75 km from Gangtok, with the nearest railway station at New Jalimpuri and the nearest airport at Pakyong. Originally a summer retreat where elaborate parties were hosted, the property passed to trustees after the Morgans died without an heir, and was later handed over to the Government of India after Indian independence. In 1962, after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru fell ill, plans were made to convert the house into a government rest house; these were abandoned after Nehru's sudden death. The property was handed to the tourism department in 1965 and finally to the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) in 1975. Since then it has been managed as a boutique hotel and is open to tourists. It was earlier also known as Singamari Tourist Lodge or Durpin Tourist Lodge. As a hotel, Morgan House trades on its colonial architecture, hill-station setting and heritage atmosphere. Its lounge displays framed testimonials from Indian actors and celebrities who have stayed there, including Kishore Kumar, Amit Kumar, Leena Chandavarkar, Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Uttam Kumar, Supriya and Om Prakash; actor Utpal Dutt was a regular visitor, and American ambassador to India Chester Bowles also stayed at the property. The mansion is listed among Kalimpong's heritage accommodations and appears in Indian Himalaya travel guides and Lonely Planet India.

Morgan House was built in the early 1930s as a British colonial mansion in Kalimpong, in what is now the Kalimpong district of West Bengal, India. It was built by George Morgan, an English jute baron, and the building was intended to commemorate the wedding of an indigo plantation owner with Morgan. The house served as a summer retreat, and elaborate parties were hosted there during the colonial period. After the Morgans died without an heir, the property passed into the hands of trustees. Following Indian independence, it was handed over to the Government of India. In 1962, after then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was taken ill, plans were made to convert the house into a government rest house. However, due to Nehru's sudden demise, this plan was abandoned. In 1965 the property was handed to the tourism department, and in 1975 it was finally handed over to the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC). Since then it has been managed as a boutique hotel and is open to tourists. Earlier the property was also known as Singamari Tourist Lodge or Durpin Tourist Lodge. The mansion sits on a sixteen-acre estate atop the mountain of Durpindara, three kilometres off the centre of Kalimpong town, with a clear view of the Kangchenjunga mountain range. The estate is surrounded by the Kalimpong Cantonment area and overlooks the Relli, Kapher, Deolo and Labha valleys in various directions. By road, Morgan House is 75 km from Siliguri, 52 km from Darjeeling and 75 km from Gangtok; the nearest railway station is in New Jalpaiguri and the nearest airport is in Pakyong. In popular culture, Indian actors and celebrities such as Kishore Kumar, Amit Kumar, Leena Chandavarkar, Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Uttam Kumar, Supriya and Om Prakash have stayed in the lodge, and their testimonials can be seen framed in the lounge. Actor Utpal Dutt was also a regular visitor, and American ambassador in India Chester Bowles stayed here. The property is documented in travel literature on the Indian Himalaya, including Lonely Planet India and the Indian Himalaya Footprint Handbook, and in works on the bungalow in twentieth-century India.

• 1975

  The property is finally handed over to the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) and is managed as a boutique hotel.

• 1965

  The property is handed to the tourism department.

• 1962

  After Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is taken ill, plans are made to convert the house into a government rest house; the plan is abandoned after Nehru's sudden death.

• 1930

  Morgan House is built in the early 1930s by English jute baron George Morgan as a British colonial mansion in Kalimpong.

• After the Morgans die without an heir, the property passes into the hands of trustees.

• Following Indian independence, the property is handed over to the Government of India.

Heritage boutique hotel and colonial-era tourist lodge in the Kalimpong hill station, operated by a state tourism corporation.

• Morgan House heritage boutique hotel

  A colonial-era mansion on a sixteen-acre estate in Kalimpong, managed by WBTDC and open to tourists.

1. 1Morgan House, Kalimpong - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Morgan House - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3WBTDC lodge search - Morgan Housewbtdcl.com