Our last trip to Cambridge in 2016 coincided with college exams which meant King's College Chapel was not open to visitors. Earlier this week we returned to Cambridge via train from Attleborough with one goal in mind - to cross King's College Chapel off our list!
The chapel can be seen to the right of the King's College gate house (above). Walking through the gate house (below) there is a large green surrounded by college buildings.
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Interior view of gate house
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Detail of red and white roses above gate house
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| Walkins Building is to the left side of the gate house |
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Gibbs Building is directly across from the gate house
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| Chapel is on the right side of the gate house |
The chapel is 88m/289ft long, 12m/40ft wide between the piers and the vault is 24m/80ft high. We were directed to the chapel's west entrance seen above left and below.
This next photo of the chapel's west window was taken from the river while we went punting on the Cam in 2016.
King Henry VI laid the cornerstone for the chapel in 1441. King's College was one of his two "royal and religious" foundations, the other being Eton College in Windsor.
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Detail above Chapel entry
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Rear of Chapel
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The interior is huge with the longest vaulted ceiling in the world. The dark oak screen (below) that houses the organ was a gift of Henry VIII. The screen bears his and Anne Boleyn's initials and dates between 1533 when he married Anne and 1536 when he had her executed.
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View from inside the choir area looking back at the oak screen and West Window
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| Choir and the Great East Window |
The painting Adoration of the Magi by Rubens is a recent addition donated to the college in 1961 by A.E. Allnatt. To accommodate the painting and not obscure the East Window the floor level was lowered.
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| Adoration of the Magi by Rubens 1634 |
On either side of the chapel are a number of smaller chapels.
The stone carvings are as impressive as the fan ceiling.
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The West Window
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We thoroughly enjoyed our day in Cambridge and were especially pleased to finally view the King's College Chapel. Good times!
