The Lawrence School Sanawar | The Best School of All

The Lawrence School Sanawar | The Best School of All
Founded by Sir Henry and Lady Honoria Lawrence, Sanawar is believed to be the first co-educational boarding school in the world. On the 15th of April 1847, a group of 14 boys and girls camped at the top of the foothills of the Himalayas. They lived under canvas for some weeks, anxiously waiting for the first buildings to be completed before the arrival of the monsoon. Thus did Sanawar come into existence. By 1853 the strength had grown to 195 pupils and it was then the School was presented with the King's Colours. It was one of the only six schools and colleges ever to be so honoured in the entire British Empire.
History records that during the hot summer of 1846, in the company of Col. Boileau and Lt Beecher of the engineers and Lt Hudson of the fusiliers, Henry Lawrence searched for a site in the Simla Hills around Kasauli to establish an asylum for the children of the British other ranks. However, he eventually selected the hill of Sanawar at a height of 1750 meters (5600 feet) as it combined most of the requisites for an asylum, VIZ isolation, ample space, suitable location not too far from European troops. The 134 acres of land acquired belonged to the Rana of Bhagat, a princely state.
Once the site was selected the work of construction was entrusted to Lt W. Hodson of the Hodson Horse fame. Work commenced on 1 APRIL 1847.
Tents were pitched to house the first inmates in the area which is now the girls games field, also known as the Peace stead/Arun Kheterpal Stadium.
Henry Lawrence put the school in the capable hands of Mrs. Charlotte Lawrence, wife of the eldest of the famous Lawrence brothers, Sir George St Patric Lawrence.The school formally opened on 15 April, 1847 with seven boys, seven girls, one master and one mistress in-charge. They lived under canvas for a few weeks anxiously waiting for the buildings to come up before the rains.
The first impressions of the school were over-whelming, every thing was on a grand scale; its estate; its buildings; and above all its spirit which is impossible to define.
Sanawar has held its Colours for the longest unbroken period. From its Foundation the financial burden of the School was borne by Sir Henry until his death in 1857, when the government assumed responsibility for the finances as a mark of esteem to his memory.
The tradition of military training at Sanawar has always been strong and of such a high standard that several contingents of boys were enlisted from the School and sent straight to the battlefields of the Great War. In appreciation of this, the School was redesignated in 1920 as the "Lawrence Royal Military School". In 1922, the Prince of Wales personally presented the School with new Colours. The School Colours continue to this day to be trooped at the Founder's Celebration in early October. Sanawar pupils continue to make a major contribution to the defence of the country.
The Centenary year (1947) was crucial to the development of the School. With Independence, the bulk of the staff and children at Sanawar returned to the UK. However, the then Governor General, Lord Louis Mountbatten, presided over the Centenary celebrations of the school and read out a special message from King George VI. Thereafter, control of the School passed from the Crown to the Government of India.
The first Principal of the School was the Rev. W. J. Parker, (1848 - 1863). Notable events during his period include the first Founder's Day in 1849 and the opening of the Chapel in 1851. Parker was followed by the Rev. J. Cole (1864 - 1886), the Rev. A. Hilldersley (1886 - 1912) and by the fourth Principal, the Rev. G. D. Barne (1912 - 1932) who developed Sanawar into a major public school along English lines with House and Prefectorial systems, games on an organised basis and a curriculum working towards Cambridge University Examinations.
The School continued to evolve and modernise throughout the middle and later years of the last century. In 1956 Mr. E. G. Carter retired as Principal and was succeeded by Major R. Som Dutt (1956 - 1970), the first Indian Headmaster of the school. He laid the foundation for the school, as it is today, India's foremost residential co-educational public school. Developments have continued since then time, most notably under the leadership of Mr. S. R. Das (1974 - 1988).
Over the years Sanawar has developed into a leading public school. However it has retained the strenuous simplicity and humane but martial spirit of its early days.
Pride in their school has been an outstanding characteristic of all age-groups, boys and girls. They were the first school ever, including schools in the United Kingdom - to have been awarded the King's Colours as far back as 30 June, 1853. They were All India Boxing Champions, All Empire Shooting Champions, they were drafted straight into the fighting line without any Preliminary Training…. They were trained already… They were Sanawarians.
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