VOI World/ Desk
London: Iskcon London has bought back the original site of its first UK temple at 7 Bury Place, nearly five decades after the organisation moved out of the building. The property was acquired at auction for £1.6 million (around ₹19 crore), funded entirely by Iskcon supporters.
The five-storey, 221 sq m freehold building is currently occupied by a dental clinic, offices and a therapist. Iskcon London, which has been looking to expand, had been searching for properties for several years and moved quickly when the site went up for auction.
The Bury Place building holds historic significance for the Hare Krishna movement. It was the first Iskcon temple in the UK after founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada instructed three American couples in 1968 to establish a London base. One of them, Shyamsundar Das, recalled that the movement’s “centre of activity was shifting from San Francisco to London,” and that Prabhupada was keen on having a permanent foothold in the country due to his upbringing as “an Indian in the British Empire”.
The early devotees struggled upon arrival, with no money and harsh winter conditions forcing them to use a warehouse in Covent Garden as a temporary temple. In December 1968, Shyamsundar met Beatle George Harrison, who was already familiar with the Krishna movement. Prabhupada had said he would visit London only after a formal temple was secured, and Harrison helped fund the acquisition of 7 Bury Place soon after.
Prabhupada and the devotees moved into the site in December 1969. But by 1972, rapid growth made the building too small. Harrison later purchased Bhaktivedanta Manor for Iskcon, and the London temple shifted to Soho Street in 1978, where it remains today.
Reclaiming 7 Bury Place marks an emotional milestone for Iskcon, reconnecting the London branch with its earliest roots.
