Introduction

St. Oswald’s Church is in the cantonment of Bakloh. The cantonment was first planned in 1866 as the station for the IVth Gurkha regiment. The troops were Gurkhas, but the ten officers were British Christians. A cemetery was also established in 1872. The Chaplain of Dalhousie was directed to visit Bakloh on a Sunday once in six weeks and later, six times a year. The Archdeacon regularly visited Bakloh when he came to Dalhousie from Calcutta, or Lahore and a Military Church was built in 1893. After Independence, the military authorities allowed the local Christians to use the church of St. Oswald's. The Bakloh Cantonment is now no longer the headquarters of the IVth Gurkha regiment and other Light Infantry regiments are now posted there. In the 1990’s the Assam Rifles was posted there along with their own regimental Chaplain. The responsibility of the services in St Oswald's rests with St John's church.

The other cantonment in Dalhousie’s wings is the one at Balun; this has St. Andrew’s Church. The Church records of St. John's Church indicate that services were held for troops in Balun by the Chaplain of Dalhousie. But it is not clear where the “Parade Services” and “Voluntary Services” were held. In 1882, the Bishop of Lahore recorded that he preached in the Balun school hall. In 1886 it is recorded that, “The necessity of providing a church for the Anglican soldiers at Balun calls for most serious and practical attention.” However, there were several delays and services were, occsionally, held out of doors. There were as may as 1500 soldiers posted at Balun. Eventually a church called St. Martin's was built for the Anglicans. For some reason the building was unsatisfactory and after Independence, when there were very few Christians in Balun it was pulled down and the material sold. The Presbyterians obtained a good site on the main road and built a church called St. Andrew's in 1903. The Presbyter at St. John's takes the services in St. Andrews. The Centenary service was held on 30 November 2003.

Special Attributes

Attractive old churches.

Nuisance

None

Dressing restrictions

Conservative

Connectivity

Taxis and buses

Enjoyed by

Architecture, history and religion enthusiasts

Exposure

None inside

Avoidable Season

None

Facilities

Parking close by

Things Not Allowed

No such restriction

Tip

Check if the churches are open before visiting.

Type of site

Churches