Zimbabwe House at 429 Strand in central London is the Zimbabwean Embassy building in the United Kingdom, previously the country's High Commission until the Zimbabwe's withdrawal from the Commonwealth in 2004. Strand, May 2001 St. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As Rhodesia House, it served as the High Commission of Southern Rhodesia from 1923 until the Rhodesian UDI on November 11, 1965. Rhodesia was unique in being the only British colony to have a High Commission, as only dominions (and later, independent Commonwealth members) were represented by such legations. Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated immediately to the north of South Africa, known today as Zimbabwe. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was signed on November 11, 1965 by the white minority goverment of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed rushed moves by the United Kingdom towards black majority rule in the then British colony. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... A dominion, often Dominion, is the territory or the authority of a dominus (a lord or master). ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ...

After the UDI, Rhodesia's High Commissioner, Brigadeer Andrew Skeen was declared persona non grata by the British Government and ordered to leave the country. However, because of concerns over diplomatic property under international law, Rhodesia House was not seized by the British Government. It simply became a Representative Office with no official diplomatic status, until the colony gained independence as Zimbabwe in 1980. A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ... Look up Persona non grata in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... International law (also called public international law to distinguish from private international law, i. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Business Day newspaper reported in 2002 that the deeds of the building had been given to the Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi as surety for oil supplied to Zimbabwe by the Libyan state oil company Tamoil [1]. A business day is a duration of time standardized to the five-day work week, used to differentiate calendar days, based on a seven-day week, from the time period when a company is in operation. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Muammar al-Gaddafi visits Brussels in 2004 (photo courtesy of the EC). ... Tamoil is a large energy and oil company. ...

Architecture and sculptures

The building was built by architect Charles Holden in 1907-8 as the headquarters of the British Medical Association and featured a series of sculptures by Jacob Epstein representing the Ages of Man, his first major commission in London. The nakedness of many of these sculptures was initially shocking to Edwardian sensibilities and provoked considerable controversy at the time. The controversy soon died down and the mutilated condition of many of the sculptures has nothing to do with prudish censorship; it was caused in the 1930s when possibly dangerous projecting features were hacked-off after pieces fell from one of the statues. Charles Henry Holden (12 May 1875 - 1 May 1960) was an English architect known for his designs of stations on the London Underground railway system. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The logo of the association. ... Jacob Epstein photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Sir Jacob Epstein (10 November 1880 - 19 August 1959) was an American-born sculptor who worked chiefly in England, where he pioneered modern sculpture, often producing controversial works that challenged taboos concerning what public artworks appropriately depict. ... The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. It succeeded the Victorian period and is sometimes extended to include the period up to the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, the start of World War... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• BBC ON THIS DAY - Rhodesia's High Commissioner Brigadier Andrew Skeen faces booing crowds in London
• London's Transport Museum Photographic Archive - British Medical Association building, 1922
• Londonist.com
  • Image of building
  • Image of mutilated sculptures