Kingswood College was founded by Louis Edmund Blaze, with eleven students, as a boys' high school.

Fee income barely covered the cost of running the school, so Blaze handed the struggling institution over to be managed by the Methodist mission.

One feature of the Kingswood Prize Giving was the Prologue written by Blaze, a review in verse of the year's events in the country and the world.

It ran to several editions before it was superseded by the works of one of his earliest pupils at Kingswood, G. C. Mendis, who served for many years as a lecturer (and later reader) in the Department of History at the University of Ceylon.

The new site and the new buildings were made possible by a gift of money from a British industrialist, Sir John Scurrah Randles.

The school's new location (and railway halt just opposite) was named Randles Hill to honour Kingswood's main benefactor of modern times.

Although Kingswood was a Methodist missionary school, the student body contained Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Burghers, Eurasians and a mix of Ceylonese identity groups such as Malays, Chettis and Moors.

The school admitted some boys from S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia when the latter had to vacate its premises during World War II.

Although the state financed the salaries and wages of the teachers and the support staff, it became more difficult to maintain sports and other extracurricular activities and to manage facilities to the same degree.

Nevertheless, new buildings were erected thanks to the initiatives of de Lanerolle and his constant search for funds from parents, old boys and well-wishers.

They were part of a complex administrative system and were in transferable service; their control of admissions was limited; they had little influence on the choice of teachers for the school.

Those who led the school during this century would need to preserve as much of the original shape as possible, but would also need to add to the buildings to cope with the increase in the number of students.

[19][20] During his time at Kingswood, Chandrasekara oversaw the construction of several key facilities, including a modern swimming pool complex, a new auditorium and main hall, a gymnasium, and a new playground, significantly enhancing the school's infrastructure and resources.

[37] Kingswood College maintains close ties with their home-town rival school, Dharmaraja College, with whom they play the annual Dharmaraja–Kingswood Cricket Encounter, also known as Battle of the Maroons,[38][39] which is the one of the oldest annual cricket match in Sri Lanka and the oldest in Kandy region.

[40] Introduced by the founder principal Louis Edmund Blaze, Kingswood played the inaugural senior school rugby match in the country against hometown rivals Trinity College in 1906.

Notable players include Fazil Marija,[9][46][47][48] Nalaka Weerakkody,[49][50] Nilfer Ibrahim,[51][52] Roshan and Gayan Weerarathne,[53][54] Chamara Withanage,[55] and Amjad Buks.

Notable referees include A.C. Tennakoon,[62] Irshad Cader,[63] Asela Muthumala,[64][65] Mahesh Senanayake,[66][67] Harshana Wijeweera,[68] and Ranil De Silva.

[42] In 2018, R. Lakshan Chandrarathne, and in 2019, W. A. Senevirathne, Milan Weerasinghe, and K. D. S. Ekanayake participated in the Under-19 Asian Rugby Tournament in China, representing Sri Lanka and earning national colours for their performance.

Named in honour of Louis Edmund Blaze, the founder of Kingswood College and a pioneer of school sports in Sri Lanka,[70] this prestigious trophy symbolises the spirit of competition and camaraderie between the two historic institutions.

[71][72][73] Every year, the match brings together alumni, students, and supporters to witness a thrilling contest of skill, determination, and teamwork.

In the past five years, the under-20 football team has dominated the Central Provincial Inter School Competition, winning all championships.

Hockey, introduced to Kingswood in 1938 by former vice principal V. D. Paul Raj, has become a cornerstone of the school's athletic achievements.

The school has produced many talented players, including Freddie White, a former national team captain and acclaimed as the best Asian goalkeeper of the 1950s.

[85] A significant tradition in our hockey culture is the annual "Lennie De Silva Memorial Trophy", contested by Kingswood and Royal College.

[85] Kingswood College is proud to be one of the first five schools in Sri Lanka to establish a cadet movement, a tradition that dates back to the 1880s.

Officially recognized in 1902 under the Ceylon Light Infantry (CLI),[94] cadet training had already been informally provided to Kingswoodians due to the discipline and initiative of the "Gentlemen of Kingswood".

In 2019, Kingswood cadets set two national records and won the 2nd Battalion Trophy, achieving the highest points in NCC history and in the firing event.

The Western Cadet Band has achieved notable success, including representing the school at an international training session in India, and participating in Independence Day celebrations and Central Province Sports Competitions annually.

From the earliest days of the founding father, Louis Blaze to the current head of the college, Dhammika Herath, Kingswood has so far had nineteen principals in its 133 year history.

Our boys started because, as Blaze records in KFE: The Story of Kingswood, Kandy, the magazine was initially an affair of a few pages held together: more like a pamphlet, which carried the creative work and other notices the school had to offer.