SHORT SUMMARY:

King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in Cambridge and took over half a century to build! King’s College and its chapel were founded by Henry VI in 1446, who is believed to have laid the first stone on St. James’ Day on 25^th July, 1446. 

However, Henry never saw the completed chapel, as the main structure of the building wasn’t finished until nearly 70 years later in 1515, during the reign of Henry VIII. The construction of the chapel had a number of hiccups along the way, including wars and funding problems, as Henry VI’s grand designs were very expensive!

In 1508 work on the chapel restarted and although Henry VII died in 1509, money from his will ensured that the building work continued. In 1515 the whole building was complete, including the beautiful fan vault ceiling, which was designed by architect John Wastell and took just 3 years to create. This impressive ceiling is still the largest fan vault ceiling in the world!

Do please download the pdf or full powerpoint presentation illustrating this subject which you will find  useful to use for a class:

• King's College Chapel Powerpoint (ppt)
• King's College Chapel Powerpoint (pdf)
• King's College Chapel Laminate

STORY CONTENT

King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in Cambridge and took over half a century to build!

King’s College and its chapel was founded by Henry VI (1421-71), however Henry did not manage to see the completed chapel, because the main structure of the building wasn’t finished until 1515, in the Tudor period, during the reign of Henry VIII. 

It was the Tudor Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII that were left with the job of completing the grand structure of the chapel, that had been started decades before.

The first stone is believed to have been laid on St. James’ Day on 25^th July, 1446 by the King himself; Henry VII. However the construction of the chapel was a very slow process, largely due to funding problems, as Henry VI’s grand designs were very expensive!

Henry VII’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, when he defeated and killed Richard III, also led to further delays in the building of the Chapel, because his focus was on getting the country back under control. Despite the College’s petition for the building work to recommence, due to its unsightly semi-completed appearance, the building work ceased for another 20 years. 

In 1508 work restarted on a large scale and despite Henry VII dying in 1509, money from his will ensured that the building work continued.

In 1512 the shell of the chapel was finished, including the whole roof being covered with timber and lead. The executors of Henry VII also contributed £5000 towards paying for the vaulting of the Chapel, which meant that by 1515 the main structure was finally complete! The vaulted ceiling, screen, a large amount of the woodwork and the glazing of the windows in the Chapel, were completed during his son; Henry VIII’s reign. The architect John Wastell created the beautiful vaulted ceiling design and it took just three years to complete his impressive design and it is still the largest fan vault ceiling in the world.

Just over one hundred years after the laying of the foundation stone of King’s College Chapel, at the time of Henry VIII’s death in 1547, the Chapel was considered to be one of the grandest and most exquisite buildings in Europe and is still is to this day.

In the Chapel you can see images representing the Tudors, for example the Tudor rose and a variety of carved animals. 

Discover More

Admission is FREE for Cambridge children under 12 visiting with their family or school. To organise a school visit to the Chapel, contact King's College at: tourism@kings.cam.ac.uk 

And for all visitors, the entrance is FREE when going to King's for sung evensong in the Chapel. This is a fantastic experience for all of the family to hear the choristers sing. To find out about concerts and chapel services, you can find the times at:www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/

To find out more about the history of King’s College Chapel visit:

http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/history.html

To find out more about Elizabeth I’s visit to King’s College visit:http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/archive-centre/exhibitions/royal-visit-1564/index.html