King's College, Cambridge

In truth the chapel is one of the most beautiful and stunning buildings on the globe.

Marvel at the massive amount of exquisite stained glass and the way the light illuminates the scenes and casts a kaleidoscope of colours across the place.

The dark oak screen is wonderful and the whole building is a hymn to architectural brilliance and technical skill.

A bravura example of how sheer beauty can be enjoyed hundreds of years after a building has been dedicated.

Lying at the centre of historic Cambridge is King's College. The front portico will make you go "wow!" because when you take i the view of it together with the other buildings around it like the turreted King's College Chapel, the view just falls into one piece. You would want to take pictures from every angle you possibly could!

Famous for it's choir, King's really is a marvellous set of buildings as its chapel dominates the skyline. You can attend many services in most of the colleges' chapels on Sundays and listen in for voices of angels.

As I have said in my page for C;are College, which is just behind King's, walk through Garret Hostel Lane through the park and you will come to The Backs, a river bank which, if you would walk a little further you will be rewarded with an expansive view of King's College and its grounds! It looks just perfect.

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This is probably the most famous, most visited of all the colleges at Cambridge University. The chapel is the most recognizable building, which many people readily identify with this old university town.

Founded by King Henry VI in 1441, King's College has had several major periods of construction. During its long, storied history, the College has had numerous distinguished graduates, including Alan Turing (who played a key role in developing the electronic computer), writer E.M. Forster, and economist John Maynard Keynes.

I went to King's Chapel, and while the interior was beautiful, it was rather dull unguided. I spent about 15-20 walking around, and then I was ready to leave. However, I think that if you did get a guided tour it would be much more interesting.

King's is one of the oldest Cambridge colleges, having been founded in 1441 by Henry VI. It is also Cambridge's premier tourist attraction, due above all to its spectacular Perpendicular chapel.

The chapel dominates the college and took over a century to build and was completed in 1547.

We saw it up close and personal and also whilst having a relaxing punt on the Cam.

The first stone of the chapel was laid by Henry 6th in 1441 and was completed in the first part of the 16th century. The ceiling is of a fan-vaulted design and the intricate lacy pattern is beautiful. We were lucky enough to be there while the Kings College choir was practising for the filming of a concert.

The Chapel is famous across the world for the annual service of Nine Lessons and Carols telling the Christmas Story. King’s was founded in 1441 by the pious Henry VI, but was halted when England fell into Civil War – the Wars of the Roses. Work continued in the reign of Richard III and the chapel was finally completed under the Tudor Kings Henry VII and VIII.

Entry is GBP 4.50 (Easter 2005), and is worth every penny. The entrance enables you to visit the college as well as the chapel. For an additional GBP 2.00 there is an audio guide about the chapel.

Visiting the Chapel on Easter Saturday we were fortunate in some ways and in others not so lucky. First, we were lucky to get in at all, as the Chapel was closing early for a concert, but there was a rehearsal going on for the concert that evening which filled the chapel with sound.

As it was Easter Saturday the altar was clear and the shutters covering “The Adoration of the Magi” by Rubens which hangs over the alter were closed. This was a pity, but gives us an excuse for another visit !

If you have the chance to visit Cambridge, do try and visit the Chapel. Its beauty is unforgettable. See my other tips for some information on the interior.

The first thing to strike you when entering the Chapel is the space and light. The architectural style is uncompromising: the walls soar 90 feet to the fantastic fan vaulting of the stone ceiling – the largest of its type in the world – completed in 1515 in just three years. The weight of the vaulting and roof is borne by eleven stone buttresses on either side of the college. In this way large areas of what would otherwise be walls can be devoted to the vast stained glass windows through which sunlight pours filling the Chapel with light.