King's College Chapel

King’s College Chapel stands beside the River Cam in the heart of Cambridge. Built between 1446 and 1515, it is one of the last great works of English Perpendicular Gothic. The chapel’s fan vault is the largest of its kind anywhere, stretching overhead in delicate stone lace. Henry VI began the project on a grand scale, but wars and changes of monarch slowed progress for decades. Henry VII later provided funds to restart work, and Henry VIII completed the shell in 1515. Today it remains an active place of worship and a symbol of the university. The chapel’s stained glass windows are among the finest of the early 16th century. Flemish craftsmen, led by Barnard Flower and Galyon Hone, created twelve large windows on each side between 1515 and 1531. Above the altar hangs Rubens’s Adoration of the Magi, installed in 1968 after careful debate. The chapel also houses the world-famous King’s College Choir, directed for many years by Sir Stephen Cleobury. The choir sings daily during term and broadcasts the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve. Inside, the chapel opens into a single lofty space divided by a Renaissance pulpitum. The screen, erected for Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, contrasts sharply with the Gothic stonework. The east window floods the sanctuary with coloured light, while the west window, added in 1879, completes the sequence. The chapel’s acoustics draw visitors to concerts and college events throughout the year.