page_title: King's College, Cambridge
section_title: Front Court completed
hierarchical_section_title: King's College, Cambridge / History / Front Court completed
caption_attribution_description: English: King's College, Cambridge
context_page_description: King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city.
  King's was founded in 1441 by Henry VI soon after he had founded its sister college in Eton. However, the King's plans for the college were disrupted by the Wars of the Roses and the resultant scarcity of funds, as well as his eventual deposition. Little progress was made on the project until in 1508 Henry VII began to take an interest in the college, most likely as a political move to legitimise his new position. The building of the college's chapel, begun in 1446, was finally finished in 1544 during the reign of Henry VIII.
  King's College Chapel is regarded as one of the greatest examples of late Gothic English architecture. It has the world's largest fan vault, while the chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era. The building is seen as emblematic of Cambridge.
context_section_description: The college remained as the Old Court, chapel and a few small surrounding buildings for nearly two-hundred years until in 1724 the architect James Gibbs provided a new plan to complete the courtyard of which the chapel formed the north side.  Although his design was for the courtyard to be closed by three similar detached Neoclassical buildings, due to lack of funds only the western of these was constructed.  The first stone of what became known as the Gibbs' Building was laid by Provost Andrew Snape, at the time also vice-chancellor of the university, on 25 March 1723 and the building completed six years later.
  Front Court was finally completed in 1828 under plans drawn up by William Wilkins.  The courtyard was closed by a screen and gatehouse to the east; and residential staircases either side of a hall to the south.  The southern buildings continued towards the river with a library and Provost's lodge.  All these buildings were, at the college's insistence, built in the Gothic Revival style rather than Wilkins's preferred Neoclassical.
  With the courtyard to the south of the chapel now able to accommodate the college, the land to the north was sold to the university in 1828.  The university demolished most of the original Old Court buildings in order to make room for an extension to the University Library; only the gateway arch opposite Clare College survives.  The library subsequently moved away from this site, known as the Old Schools, and the buildings are currently used for the main administrative offices of the university.
caption: The east and south sides of Front Court, designed by William Wilkins
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