Clan House was constructed by John Black and Company, a British mercantile firm, who established themselves in Galle Fort in 1847.

[2] John Black (1819-1869), a Scotsman, was appointed as the first American Commercial Agent (Consul) in Ceylon[3] in September 1850[4] and later became a member of the Galle Municipal Council.

The building also housed the shipping agencies for the following companies: As well as the offices of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and the Inland Revenue Department.

[1] In 1999 the Galle office of Aitken Spence Shipping was permanently closed and the operations consolidated at the company's Colombo headquarters.

In June 2014, Aitken Spence revealed plans to convert the building and land to a 20-room boutique hotel, at an estimated cost of Rs 600M.