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Brief History of Royal College Boarding House (Hostel) – By Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam (Excerpts from the book “Royal College School of our fathers” compiled by D.L. Seneviratne) The first boarding house of the Colombo Academy was established in San Sebastian in 1868. It had about 20 to 30 boys and the principals who lived in the premises, joined the boarders often for breakfast and dinner. Mr. Ashley Walker became the first boarding master in 1876, and cricket teams at the beginning were composed mostly of boarders. The boarding was on top floor of the main building, which was previously the Government House overlooking the Beira Lake, with a splendid view of the sea. The boarding was closed on around 1905. There was stern resistance to establishing the boarding again, as it was deemed to be a day school. However in 1939, due to much effort by RCU, a spacious bungalow ...