Cambridge - King´s College

Our schedule in Cambridge fell victim to a series of heavy downpours, for which we were not at all prepared. As soon as we left Cambridge, the weather improved

King's College was founde by Henry VI in 1441, originally for just twelve needy students. The college was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St Nicholas of Myra. The first rector and initially the only teacher was William Millington. The choir was also founded in 1441 and its main task to this day is to sing at services and the Liturgy of the Hours in King's College Chapel.

Henry VI expanded his plans with a new charter of foundation in 1443. The new college was now to accommodate 70 scholars and fellows. The students were selected annually from the best pupils at Eton College, which was founded by Henry VI in 1440. The college members were graduated after three years of study, even without a university examination. The majority of graduates were obliged to study theology and be ordained as priests.

However, the king's plans were disrupted by the Wars of the Roses and the resultant scarcity of funds, and then his eventual deposition. Little progress was made on the project until 1508, when King Henry VII began to take an interest in the college. The building of the college's chapel began in 1446, and was finished in 1544 during the reign of Henry VIII.

King's College Chapel is regarded as one of the finest examples of late English Gothic architecture.

Note the umbrellas in the forground