Murree's history starts with the British army, not with tourism. It was built from 1851 as a sanatorium where colonial troops and officials could recover from the heat and disease of the Punjab plains, and for a few years in the 1870s it was the summer seat of the Punjab government itself. Much of what still shapes the town today, from the Mall to the ridge-top viewpoints, dates from that period.
This guide goes through how Murree grew, what its brief spell as a summer capital meant, and which colonial-era buildings and sites you can still see on a walk through the town.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Site identified | 1847, by Major James Abbott |
| Development began | 1851, under Sir Henry Lawrence |
| Permanent town founded | 1853, at Sunnybank |
| Holy Trinity Church consecrated | May 1857 |
| Summer capital of Punjab | 1873 to 1875, then moved to Shimla |
| Mall Road opened to all | 1947, at independence |
Before the British
Before 1847, the ridge that became Murree was forested high ground above the Punjab plains, used by local communities rather than built up in any significant way. Major James Abbott, surveying the area that year, described finding "the resort of Jogies and alchemysts" on the mountain the British would later call Mall Mountain. What drew British attention was straightforward: cool air and pine forest within reach of the garrison towns of the plains, at a time when the annual heat and disease of a Punjab summer were a serious problem for European troops and administrators.
Building a sanatorium, 1851 to 1857
Sir Henry Lawrence, then president of the Punjab administrative board, began developing the site from 1851 as a sanatorium for British troops, and a municipality was formally established in 1850. The permanent town took shape at Sunnybank from 1853, and Holy Trinity Church, still standing near GPO Chowk, was consecrated in May 1857. A commercial street was laid out along the ridge, which became the Mall, with the general post office and merchants clustered around it. Until independence in 1947, non-Europeans were restricted from using the Mall itself, a rule that shaped how the town was laid out and who used which parts of it for the best part of a century.
Summer capital of the Punjab, 1873 to 1875
For three years in the 1870s, Murree was the official summer headquarters of the colonial government of the Punjab, chosen partly because it was more accessible from the plains than the larger hill stations further into the Himalaya. The Punjab governor's residence, an imposing building near Kashmir Point, dates from this period of the town's history and marks how briefly, but seriously, Murree functioned as a seat of government rather than just a retreat. In 1876 the summer capital moved to Shimla, and Murree settled into a quieter role as one hill station among several rather than the centre of provincial administration. Our guide to Kashmir Point has more on the viewpoint and the buildings around it today.
The institutions the British left behind
Two institutions from this period still define parts of Murree's identity. Lawrence College, founded in 1860 at nearby Ghora Gali as one of the Lawrence Military Asylums for the children of British soldiers, is still a leading school in the area, though its grounds are private.
The Murree Brewery, founded the same year at Ghora Gali to supply British troops, is a more complicated survivor. Water shortages in the 1920s pushed most brewing to a new site in Rawalpindi, malting continued at Ghora Gali only until the 1940s, and the original Murree building itself was burned in the unrest around independence in 1947. The company still trades as Murree Brewery, but its working home today is Rawalpindi, not the hills that gave it its name, so there is no working brewery to see in Murree itself.
After 1947: from colonial retreat to Pakistan's hill station
Independence removed the restrictions that had shaped the colonial town, and the Mall opened to everyone. Over the following decades Murree grew from a seasonal retreat into a year-round town serving the fast-expanding Islamabad-Rawalpindi area next door, with hotels, shops and rides added around the colonial core rather than replacing it. That growth is the reason Murree today combines a genuinely old centre with the crowded, built-up hill station most visitors actually experience.
A heritage walk through what survives
Most of Murree's colonial-era landmarks sit close enough together for a single walk from GPO Chowk.
- Holy Trinity Church, consecrated in 1857, stands near GPO Chowk and is the town's oldest surviving building of note.
- GPO Chowk and the Mall itself, laid out as the colonial commercial street, remain the centre of the town, even though almost every shopfront has changed since 1947.
- The former Punjab governor's residence, near Kashmir Point, is a reminder of Murree's brief spell as a seat of government.
- Lawrence College, Ghora Gali, a short drive below the town, is visible from the road even though the grounds are not open to visitors.
- Sunnybank, the site of the original permanent settlement from 1853, is worth knowing as the actual starting point of the town, even though little from that first building phase remains today.
Our guide to Mall Road covers the street as it is now, alongside these older landmarks.
Is the history worth the detour?
For most visitors, Murree's history is context for a walk you are taking anyway rather than a reason to travel on its own. The church, GPO Chowk and the walk towards Kashmir Point add half an hour or so to an ordinary visit and cost nothing beyond the time. If colonial-era architecture and history are your main interest rather than a side note, Murree is a lighter version of that story than somewhere like Lahore, and worth combining with a broader look at places to visit in Murree rather than building a whole trip around history alone.
Frequently asked questions
When was Murree founded?
Development began in 1851 under Sir Henry Lawrence, with a municipality established in 1850 and the permanent town built from 1853 at Sunnybank.
Why did the British build Murree?
As a sanatorium where troops and officials could recover from the heat and disease of the Punjab plains in summer, and later as a base close enough to the plains for provincial administration.
Was Murree ever the capital of Punjab?
It was the summer headquarters of the colonial Punjab government from 1873 to 1875, after which the role passed to Shimla in 1876. It was never the province's permanent capital.
Is the Murree Brewery still in Murree?
No. It was founded at nearby Ghora Gali in 1860, but brewing moved mostly to Rawalpindi in the 1920s and the original Murree site was burned in 1947. The company's working brewery today is in Rawalpindi.
What colonial buildings can I still see in Murree?
Holy Trinity Church near GPO Chowk, the Mall itself, the former Punjab governor's residence near Kashmir Point, and Lawrence College at Ghora Gali, visible from the road below the town.
