Kasauli

Kasauli is a cantonment and town, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station,[1] 77 kilometres (48 mi) from Shimla, 65 kilometres (40 mi) from Chandigarh, and 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Panchkula, and lies at a height of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).The Kasauli Club was established by civilians and service personnel in 1880, as the Kasauli Reading and Assembly Rooms. It gained its present name in 1898 when a limited liability company and constitution were established; its first director was Sir David Semple of Kasauli’s Pasteur Institute. At the time the Club was for the exclusive use of the British Raj, and held social meetings, tea and dinner dances, and galas. In 1915 regimental officers at Dagshai, Solan and Subathu could be admitted as honorary members. At Independence in 1947, plans to sell the then loss-making Club failed.

The Club was originally constructed of wood and plaster, and was typical of hill architecture. In 2001, after a 2000 restoration, it was destroyed by fire, losing “elegant, old-world furniture,precious and rare books”. By 2005 it had been redesigned and rebuilt in stone, and plans were put forward for a new attached gymnasium.