King's College, Cambridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King's College |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
King's College Chapel and the Gibbs' Building
|
||||||||||||
Arms of King's College
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
| University | University of Cambridge | |||||||||||
| Location | King's Parade map | |||||||||||
| Full name | The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge | |||||||||||
| Founder | Henry VI | |||||||||||
| Established | 1441 | |||||||||||
| Named for | Our Lady, patron saint of Eton College Nicholas, natal saint of Henry VI |
|||||||||||
| Sister colleges | Eton College New College, Oxford |
|||||||||||
| Provost | Michael Proctor | |||||||||||
| Undergraduates | 420 | |||||||||||
| Postgraduates | 280 | |||||||||||
King's College is a famous college that is part of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Its full name is The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge. The college is located next to the River Cam and faces King's Parade in the city centre.
King's College was started in 1441 by King Henry VI. He had also recently founded Eton College, which is a sister college. However, King Henry's plans for King's College were slowed down by wars. Not much building happened until 1508, when King Henry VII became interested in the project. The college's chapel, which started being built in 1446, was finally finished in 1544 during the time of Henry VIII.
King's College Chapel, Cambridge is known as one of the best examples of late Gothic English architecture. It has the world's largest fan vault, which is a special type of ceiling. The chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden screen around the altar are also very beautiful and important from their time.
The chapel's choir is one of the most famous in the world. It is made up of male students from King's and younger singers from the nearby King's College School. Every year on Christmas Eve, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast from the chapel. Millions of people around the world listen to it.
Contents
History of King's College
At first, King's College was only for boys who had studied at Eton College. It was not until 1865 that other students could join. The first women students came to King's in 1972. Before this, the college had only been for men since it was founded. Once someone becomes a student at King's, they are a member for life. Many famous people have studied at King's, including prime ministers, archbishops, and important thinkers.
Even though building started in 1441, wars stopped the work. The inside of the college was not finished until 1544. By this time, King Henry VIII was the King of England.
King Henry VI is still remembered at the college. Every year, on the Saturday after the autumn term ends, they have "Founder's Day." It starts with a special church service in the chapel. After that, there is a "Founder's Breakfast" with ale. Finally, there is a big dinner called "Founder's Feast." All students in their last year of studies are invited to this special dinner.
King's College Chapel
The College Chapel is built in the style of late Gothic architecture. It took about 100 years to build, from 1446 to 1531. Many concerts and college events happen here. The famous choir sings services most days during term time. They also perform concerts and make recordings and broadcasts. Every Christmas, the choir sings the Nine Lessons and Carols service. This service is shown on BBC television and heard on the radio.
On September 1, 1939, when World War II began with the German invasion of Poland, the college decided to protect its stained glass. They asked for permission to remove the stained glass from the chapel's east window. By the end of 1941, all the old glass had been moved to safe places in Cambridge.
Even though most of the chapel windows were covered with tar-paper during the war, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols continued. It was broadcast from the chapel every Christmas Eve. For safety reasons, the college's name could not be said on the radio. During these years, King's College also cleaned, repaired, and photographed the glass. By 1949, all the windows were put back in place.
The Chapel is so well-known that it has become a symbol of Cambridge. You can even see it on the logo of the city council.
Student Life at King's
In the past, most students at King's came from independent schools. Today, the college welcomes many students from state schools too. Almost all subjects taught at Cambridge University can be studied at King's. The college has a large library with many books, including some rare ones and old manuscripts.
King's College has many sports clubs, both for serious competition and for fun. The King's College Boat Club has the most members of any club at King's.
There are several rooms around the college that students can book for club events. Some popular student clubs include King's Politics, The Turing Maths Society, The History Society, and King's Feminist Society.
The main bar at King's is a place for many social events. Students hold open mic nights, informal meetings, and debates there. There is also a second bar called the Bunker (or Cellar) in the college basement. This space is sometimes used for music or dance nights. Recently, it has been used for drama productions and for the King's Electronic Music Society. Students can learn how to be a DJ there.
Images for kids
-
Old Court
-
Henry VI's revised plan for the college
-
The College Chapel, as first planned by Henry VI. The building line between light and dark stone can be seen on the chapel's side.
-
Coat of arms of King Henry VII, inside the chapel
-
The Gibbs' Building
-
The east and south sides of Front Court, designed by William Wilkins
-
Scott's Building
-
Bodley's Court
-
Rubens's Adoration of the Magi behind the chapel altar
-
Inside the chapel
-
King's College dining hall
-
Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of Great Britain
-
M. R. James, a scholar and writer of ghost stories
-
George Santayana, a philosopher
-
E. M. Forster, a novelist
-
John Maynard Keynes, an economist
-
Rupert Brooke, a poet
-
Philip Noel-Baker, an Olympic medallist and Nobel Peace Prize winner
-
Xu Zhimo, a poet
-
Patrick Blackett, a Nobel Prize winner in physics
-
Alan Turing, a mathematician and computer scientist
-
Frederick Sanger, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice
-
Salman Rushdie, a novelist
-
Stephen Poliakoff, a playwright and director
-
Mervyn King, a former head of the Bank of England
-
David Baddiel, a comedian
-
Zadie Smith, a novelist
-
Great Court of King's College
_-_cambridgedescri00atkiuoft_0449.png)
See also
In Spanish: King's College (Cambridge) para niños
