Central · Founded 1441
King's College
The defining image of Cambridge: Henry VI's chapel with the world's largest fan vault, home of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast worldwide each Christmas Eve.
The college
A closer
look.
Central — King's Parade
Founded 1441. Founded in 1441 by King Henry VI as the College of Our Lady and St Nicholas, twinned with his school at Eton, whose scholars alone it admitted for its first four centuries.
The Chapel, begun by Henry VI in 1446 and completed under Henry VIII, carries the world's largest fan vault, finished by John Wastell in 1515; beside it stand James Gibbs's classical Gibbs' Building of the 1720s and William Wilkins's 19th-century Gothic screen along King's Parade.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 01The fan-vaulted Chapel interior
- 02Rubens's Adoration of the Magi
- 03The medieval stained glass
- 04The Gibbs' Building
- 05The front lawn and the Backs
- 06The Xu Zhimo memorial stone
Connected to
Notable
names.
- John Maynard Keynes
- Alan Turing
- E. M. Forster
- Rupert Brooke
- Salman Rushdie
- Zadie Smith
Before you go
Visiting King's College
King's charges admission and sells tickets online, with discounted early-bird tickets for advance booking; the Chapel and grounds typically open from 9.30am, with last Chapel entry around 4pm and the grounds closing at 5.15pm. The college is occasionally closed for services and events, so check the opening calendar before visiting.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1441
- Area
- Central — King's Parade
- Type
- College
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