Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: February 03, 2021 | 
Lawrence College in the Winter
Nestled amongst a lush green forest covered in deep-rooted pine trees, Lawrence College Ghora Gali is a school with an equally splendid history. Situated in a typical jagged but shadowy gorge of Murree Hills, the college is situated 57 kilometers from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and is at the height of about 1950 meters above sea level. Sprawled over an area of 150 acres, Lawrence College, Ghora Gali has been considered one of the premier educational intuitions of the Subcontinent since its establishment in 1860, with a location and building that stands as a testament to its glory.
The college was originally set up as an asylum for the orphans of British soldiers in 1860, in posthumous memory of Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence, a British soldier and statesman, born in 1806 in Ceylon (presently Sri Lanka). During his life, Sir Lawrence served in East India Company, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the Bengal Artillery and actively engaged in matters of concern to the Raj, like the revenue system, the canal system, and roads.
A Portrait of Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence
But his most lasting legacy stemmed from his personal concern for the children of the martyrs of British Army. Sir Henry Lawrence founded Lawrence Schools in Sanawar, Mt Abu, and Lovedale to educate the orphans of the soldiers who died in wars. He died defending Lucknow during the war of 1857, and Lawrence College Ghora Gali was a posthumous school set up using a major contribution from his family. The present logo of Lawrence College is an adaptation of the Lawrence Coat of Arms, granted to the College in 1926, by Sir Alexander Hutchison Lawrence, the eldest son of Sir Henry Lawrence. “Never Give in” remains the motto of the College till today, which were the last instructions of Sir Lawrence while dying during combat.
The Coat of Arms
Initially the school was co-education, but since Independence, it has been an exclusively boys’ college with around 700 students. The school began to take in children of wealthy Indian in the 1930’s Century, to give them a similar education as compared to the British children. At the time, sending children to boarding schools became a popular choice, as they could be educated in a British education system somewhere remote in a rugged and healthy environment. Since 1920, the school’s house system promotes a sense of loyalty and healthy competition amongst peers. Initially, the houses were named after British Principles and Governors of Punjab (Peak, Walker, Wrightwick and Wright), but changed in 1973 to honor local leaders (Tipu House, Jinnah House, Babar House and Iqbal House).
The Girls Side of Lawrence Memorial Asylum, 1875
Talking about the values of the College, Brigadier (Retired) Mujahid Alam, the current principal of Lawrence College said, “Besides academic excellence, we put a special emphasis on character and personality building of our students. We strive to inculcate in them values such as respect and appreciation for co-existence, patriotism, gender equality, diversity, integrity, and compassion for the needy and the under-privileged. Adherence to basic principles of respect for junior staff, people with disabilities, disadvantaged segments of society and environment, are instilled in our students from a young age. We organize special school excursion visits for our students to sports events, theatres, museums, and also organize other co-curricular and extra –curricular activities. This helps in ensuring that our students emerge with well-rounded personalities and are well prepared to deal with the practical challenges of life. Religious and culture activities add the much needed break from the boarding school routine. Students are molded into a community having similar values, an important learning process since they come from different parts of the country, including such far-flung areas as Gilgit-Baltistan, interior Sindh, and Balochistan.”
Brigadier (Retired) Mujahid Alam
With such a long history, it is no wonder that the Lawrence College has some prominent names amongst its alumni from the political cadre, bureaucracy and military services, civil society, and corporate and business community. A few such noticeable names include Ex-Prime Ministers of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali; politicians such as Mumtaz Bhutto from Sindh, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sarfraz Bugti from Balochistan, former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Raja Muhammad Zulqarnain Khan. Other prominent personalities which include columnist and politician Ayaz Amir, artist Ismail Gulgee, businessman and entrepreneur Ikram Sehgal, film star Waheed Murad, and television actor Bilal Abbas Khan. In addition, a small British cemetery is located in the corner of the school, which commemorates the WWII soldiers from India and Pakistan who died during action.
Students of the College Playing Cricket
The beautiful campus grounds present a familiar site of colonial slanting roofs set against the backdrop of the verdant hills. The most notable feature is the Chapel, built originally in 1881 by the Bishop of Lahore. While it was briefly a music and handicraft building in the 1980’s, in 2007 it was refurbished as a church for the local Christian community. Church services still occasionally take place, and the chapel is preserved as a religious, historical and architectural heritage space. Other interesting buildings to visit include Lawrence Hall, the old auditorium where many of the debates and mushairas still take place, sometimes addressed by dignitaries.
The Inside of the Chapel
“We are very proud of our location and the original building, which was completed around 1868. Since then, many new additions have been made in the infrastructure. We have a central clock tower, a monument to commemorate the martyrs amongst the alumni of the school, along with dorms, classroom blocks, hobby clubs and libraries spread out across the campus. The architecture of the old and new blocks has been carefully designed to ensure coherence in the overall character of the campus. A small hospital, a boys’ work-shop, and a rifle range were also built in the Year 1891,” explains Brigadier Alam.
Perhaps, the most important part of the tradition at Lawrence College Ghora Galli, is the sense of community it instils amongst its students. Although many generations have since graduated from the school, anyone who once studied here always takes pride in referring to himself as a Gallian. The last two lines of the official College song stress the same, “Henceforth the school and you are one - and what you are, the race shall be.”
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