Kings College Chapel Cambridge

What a magnificent place this is. On a glorious sunny day the superlatives rapidly dry up to describe the assault on your senses.

Set right in the middle of the University city of Cambridge, the Chapel is larger than some Cathedrals I've been in. You walk in through the north door under the wrought iron gate with the Crown set in a thorn bush. This is to remind us that Henry VII found the Crown in a thorn bush at the battle of Bosworth, well, Shakespeare tells us so anyway.

As you step into the chapel itself it just takes your breath away. It is a statement from Henry VIII, you can hear him shouting down the centuries to us,"I am Henry Octavus, Lord of this land, This is me and I WILL be remembered" There are his coat of arms everywhere, dragons & greyhounds, Tudor roses, Portcullises and sheilds, the most magnificent fan vaulted roof, the largest anywhere in the world.

There is more than one unique feature in this buidling. One of the Tudor Roses in the north west corner has a female figure in the centre, the only one I have seen anywhere. It is of Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII's mother, now why is that?

There are two of his wives here, Anne Boleyn's initials are carved in the oak Rood Screen in the middle of the Chapel. The carver must have forgot to remove them after she unfortunately mislaid her head, or was it on Henry's orders? Katherine Howard is seen in one of the windows high up and adoring Henry, who is actually Solomon but with fiery red hair. It is the only authenticated image of Katherine Howard known anywhere. High up on the East Window, so high up that you either rick your neck or have to stand back a very long way, above the Red dragon of Wales are the letters, H & K, the initials of Katherine Howard.

The organist was practising all the time I was there and as I stepped out of one of the side chapels a full blast of music was timed to perfection to hit me as I stepped through the door, made me jump back. I stayed for ages just listenng to the music and didn't really want to leave.

A truly remarkable place to visit.


www.tudorhistorytours.com