FACTOID # 77: The United States has the world's highest marriage rate - as well as the world's highest divorce rate.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS   

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > King's College, Cambridge

Colleges of the University of Cambridge

King’s College Kings College can refer to: // University of Kings College in Halifax, Nova Scotia Kings University College (Edmonton) in Edmonton, Alberta Kings University College (University of Western Ontario), a campus of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario Kings College London, the largest constituent college... This is a list of the colleges within the University of Cambridge. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...

King’s College heraldic shield
                 
College name The King’s College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge
Latin name Collegium Regale
Motto Veritas et Utilitas
(Latin: Truth and usefulness)
Founder Henry VI
Named after The Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Nicholas
Established 1441
Location King’s Parade
Admittance Men and women
Provost Prof. Ross Harrison
Undergraduates 392
Graduates 280
Sister college New College, Oxford
Official website
Boat Club website
The Gatehouse, built in the neo-Gothic style, as seen from King’s Parade.
The Gatehouse, built in the neo-Gothic style, as seen from King’s Parade.

King’s College, Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King’s College of Our Lady and St. Nicholas, it is often referred to as King’s within the university. Download high resolution version (800x926, 148 KB)made by me in Inkscape. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Henry VI (December 6, 1421 – May 21, 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 (though with a Regent until 1437) and then from 1470 to 1471, and King of France from 1422 to 1453. ... Our Lady redirects here. ... For other uses, see Nicholas. ... This page is about the year 1441. ... Most of the colleges of the University of Cambridge have sister colleges in the University of Oxford (and vice versa). ... and of the New College College name New College of St Mary Latin name Collegium Novum Oxoniensis/Collegium Sanctae Mariae Wintoniae Named after Mary, mother of Jesus Established 1379 Sister college Kings College, Cambridge Warden Prof. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 361 KB) Summary The neo-Gothic Gatehouse of Kings College, Cambridge, seen from Kings Parade. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 361 KB) Summary The neo-Gothic Gatehouse of Kings College, Cambridge, seen from Kings Parade. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...

Contents

History

King’s was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI. His first design was modest, but by 1445 was intended to be a magnificent display of royal patronage. There were to be a Provost and seventy scholars, occupying a substantial site in central Cambridge whose drastic clearance involved the closure of several streets. The college was granted a remarkable series of feudal privileges, and all of this was supported by a substantial series of endowments from the King. This page is about the year 1441. ... Henry VI (December 6, 1421 – May 21, 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 (though with a Regent until 1437) and then from 1470 to 1471, and King of France from 1422 to 1453. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ...


The college was to be specifically for boys from Eton College, which he had also founded. The connection with Eton remained strong for many years: it was not until 1865 that the first non-Etonian undergraduates arrived to study at King’s, and the first fellow to have not attended Eton was elected in 1873. The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, north of Windsor Castle, and...


The very first buildings of the college, now part of the Old Schools, were begun in 1441, but by 1443 the decision to build to a much grander plan had been taken. That plan survives in the 1448 Founders Will describing in detail a magnificent court with a chapel on one side. But within a decade, civil war meant that funds from the King began to dry up. By the time of his deposition in 1461, the chapel walls had been raised 60ft high at the east end but only 8ft at the west; a building line which can still be seen today as the boundary between the lighter stone below and the darker above. Work proceeded sporadically until a generation later in 1508 when the Founder’s nephew King Henry VII was prevailed upon to finish the shell of the building. The interior had to wait a further generation until completion by 1544 with the aid of King Henry VIII. Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), born Henry Tudor was the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... “Henry VIII” redirects here. ...


It has been speculated that the choice of the college as a beneficiary by the two later Henry’s was a political one, with Henry VII in particular concerned to legitimate a new, post civil war, Tudor regime by demonstrating patronage of what was by definition the King’s College. Later building work is marked by an uninhibited branding with the Tudor rose and other symbols of the new establishment, quite against the precise instructions of the Founders Will. Henry VI is not completely forgotten at the College, however, which holds a sumptous annual dinner in his memory called "Founder's Feast" to which all members of College in their last year of studies are invited.


King’s College Chapel

King’s College Chapel (partially obscured by the Gibbs’ Building), seen from The Backs
King’s College Chapel (partially obscured by the Gibbs’ Building), seen from The Backs

The College Chapel, an example of late Gothic architecture, was built over a period of 100 years in three stages. The Chapel features the world’s largest fan vault, stained glass windows, and the painting “The Adoration of the Magi” by Rubens. Download high resolution version (1016x719, 188 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1016x719, 188 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Backs, or the Backs of the Colleges refers to an area of Cambridge at the rear of several colleges by the River Cam. ... Kings College Chapel (partially obscured by the Gibbs Building), seen from The Backs Fan vaulting diagram Kings College Chapel is the chapel to Kings College of the University of Cambridge, and is one of the finest examples of late English Gothic or Perpendicular -style. ... The western facade of Reims Cathedral, France. ... Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. ... Peter Paul Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was a prolific seventeenth-century Flemish and European painter, and a proponent of an exuberant Baroque style that emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. ...


The Chapel is actively used as a place of worship and also for some concerts and college events. The world-famous Chapel choir consists of choral scholars (male students from the college) and choristers (boys educated at the nearby King’s College School). The choir sings services on most days in term-time, and also performs concerts and makes recordings and broadcasts. In particular, it has broadcast its Nine Lessons and Carols on the BBC from the Chapel on Christmas Eve for many decades. Additionally, there is a mixed-voice Chapel choir of male and female students, King’s Voices, which sings evensong on Mondays during term-time. The world-famous Choir of Kings College, Cambridge is one of todays most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. ... The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format of Christian worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus and traditionally followed at Christmas. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The Christmas Eve (1904-05), watercolor painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919) Christmas Eve, the evening of December 24th, the preceding day or vigil before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the Christmas season. ... Kings Voices is the mixed-voice chapel choir of Kings College, Cambridge. ...


The Chapel is widely seen as a symbol of Cambridge, as seen in the logo of the city council ([1]).

Education at King’s

The unofficial and sometimes disputed Tompkins Table ranked King’s tenth out of a total of twenty-nine rated colleges at the University of Cambridge in 2005; the college’s position has fluctuated between tenth and twentieth over the years 2000-2005. The Tompkins Table is an annual ranking that lists the colleges of the University of Cambridge in order of their students performances in that years final examinations. ...


King’s offers all undergraduate courses available at the University, except for education and veterinary medicine, although Directors of Studies for Anglo-Saxon Norse & Celtic, Geography, Land Economy and Management Studies all visit from other colleges. Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. ...


Since its foundation, the college has housed a library, providing books for all students, covering all the subjects offered by King’s. Around 130,000 books are held: some available for teaching and for reference, others being rare books and manuscripts. A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ...


Intake and access profile

King’s College dining hall
King’s College dining hall

The college has gradually broadened its intake to include many students from state schools, often having the highest proportion of maintained school acceptances of the undergraduate colleges. It also has a large percentage of students of Asian origin, particularly China and the Indian subcontinent. Inevitably this has led to accusations of reactionary bias against public school pupils and of affirmative action (positive discrimination), although the relatively high proportion of state-school students reflects the far greater number of applications from pupils at maintained schools.[2]. King's has established a Schools Liaison Officer post in order to provide support to students, whatever their background, and schools and colleges of any type to find out more about the University of Cambridge and the college[3]. In general, the atmosphere at King's is considered to be a little easier than that of other colleges to integrate into if you come from a working class or minority background. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by me, released to public domain I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken by me, released to public domain I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... State school is an expression used in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to distinguish schools provided by the government from privately run schools. ... The term public school has three distinct meanings: In the USA and Canada, elementary or secondary school supported and administered by state and local officials. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...


Student life

Gibbs' Building
Gibbs' Building

As with all Cambridge colleges King’s has its own student unions both for undergraduates (King’s College Student Union or KCSU) and for graduates (King’s College Graduate Society or KCGS). Having a reputation for being more politically active than other colleges, students at King’s have used both organisations to assist in the decision-making processes in the College itself and the University. The Student Union has a long record of activism. In the eighties a long rent strike against the college's investment in apartheid South Africa was organized. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2268x1512, 1368 KB) By . ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2268x1512, 1368 KB) By . ...


King’s students successfully established a university-wide rent strike, through the formation of the King’s Access Alliance, during the 1999-2000 academic year in response to increased living costs (which, they believed, would deter potential applicants and thus affect the college’s access profile); a second rent-strike in 2003 was, however, much less successful, due partly to a failure to secure support outside of the college and the hard line taken by the then Provost.


King’s has a venue known as the Cellar Bar, a small room in the basement of the college, which regularly acts as a music venue. The main bar at King’s is far older, and is the site of more informal meetings between students. The bar has been traditionally painted a socialist red, including a depiction of a hammer and sickle. In 2004 it was redecorated, with the walls painted yellow and the overall decor lightened. A hammer and sickle survives in a frame on the wall, a source of some controversy. King’s also has a dedicated Coffee Shop adjacent to the bar. A Vacation Bar, or “vac bar”, also sometimes operates during the summer vacation, run by (and mainly for) the graduate students who remain in College throughout the year. Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... For other uses, see Hammer and sickle (disambiguation). ...


Whereas most Cambridge colleges celebrate May Week with a May Ball (which actually falls in June), since the early 1980s King’s has instead held a June Event (a more informal version of a May Ball) known as King's Affair. The down-scaling followed a huge invasion of crashers over the backs when the Stranglers played at the last King's ball. An important consideration in the enduring popularity of the June Event is its cheapness compared to the May Balls of other colleges, a ticket generally costing in the neighborhood of £50 rather than the £90-200 common for May Balls. May Week is the name used within the University of Cambridge to refer to the week at the end of the academic year. ... The bridge over the River Cam at Clare College during its 2005 May Ball. ... June Events are alternatives to May Balls held by some Cambridge colleges. ... Kings Affair is the annual end-of-year party organised by the students of Kings College, Cambridge. ... The Stranglers are a British rock music group, formed in 1973 in Guildford. ...


Alumni

Time Magazine published in 2000 a list ([4]) of what it considered the most ‘influential and important’ people of the twentieth century. In a list of one hundred names, King's was the only European institution that could claim two: Alan Turing and John Maynard Keynes who had been both students and fellows at the college. Other alumni of King’s College have included prime ministers, and archbishops. More recently they have included authors Zadie Smith and Salman Rushdie, politician Charles Clarke, journalist Johann Hari, folk musician John Spiers and David Baddiel, the comedian and composer of a chart topping football anthem. (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS (23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, logician, and cryptographer. ... Keynes redirects here. ... Zadie Smith (born October 27, 1975) is an English novelist. ... Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (Devanagari : अख़्मद सल्मान रश्दी Nastaliq:; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-British novelist and essayist. ... The Rt Hon. ... Johann Hari (born January 21, 1979) is a British journalist and writer. ... John Spiers and Jon Boden are an English folk duo. ... David Baddiel (born May 28, 1964, Troy, New York, U.S.) is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter. ...


Montague Rhodes James, celebrated ghost story writer and mediaevalist, spent much of his life here as student, don and Provost. Many of his finest stories were read at Christmas to friends in his rooms in the College. Montague Rhodes James, (August 1, 1862, Goodnestone Parsonage, Kent, England –June 12, 1936). ...


In popular culture

King's College features in the Yes Minister episode "The Greasy Pole" as the setting for the 'co-incident[al]' meeting between Jim Hacker and Professor Henderson, a Chemistry Don. In this exchange, Jim Hacker attempts to persuade Henderson to soften the phrasing of his governmental report, to allow Hacker the political flexibility to bow to public demand. Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC television and radio between 1980 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. ... The Greasy Pole is the eleventh episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 16 March 1981. ... Yes, Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister are British sitcoms about the struggle between (Dr) James Jim Hacker (played by Paul Eddington), the government minister of the (fictional) Department of Administrative Affairs (and later as Prime Minister) and his civil servants and ministerial colleagues. ... In universities, especially traditiona colleageate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, a don is traditionally, a fellow or tutor of a college. ... Yes, Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister are British sitcoms about the struggle between (Dr) James Jim Hacker (played by Paul Eddington), the government minister of the (fictional) Department of Administrative Affairs (and later as Prime Minister) and his civil servants and ministerial colleagues. ...

King's College chapel, as seen from the Backs
King's College chapel, as seen from the Backs

Download high resolution version (1025x768, 217 KB)The west end of Kings College Chapel seen from The Backs. ... Download high resolution version (1025x768, 217 KB)The west end of Kings College Chapel seen from The Backs. ...

King's College Global Warming Collection

A generous donation from Caroline Davidson, Clive Cookson and the Cookson Charitable Trust has enabled the Library to create a Global Warming Collection. This collection covers a wide range of topics on the global warming theme, from The Kyoto Protocol to scepticism on global warming. These books include studies on greenhouse gases, carbon trading and carbon sequestration, the ozone layer, fossil fuels, renewable energy, nuclear energy, energy storage and distribution, and the hydrogen economy. They cover the impact of global warming on the natural world, ice and glaciers, deserts, rivers, coasts, storms and floods, wildlife and biodiversity, droughts, heat waves, etc. They include how individuals and communities can adapt to survive, such as adaptations to homes, recycling, transport, and changes to food production. The collection also deals with the economics and politics of Global warming: migration, political conflicts, governance and negotiation at international level. There is a section on regions of the world affected. This rich and comprehensive collection seeks to inform and interest us in one of the most challenging issues affecting the world today.


See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

References

  • Saltmarsh, John: King’s College (in Victoria County History of Cambridgeshire, Volume III, ed JPC Roach, 1959)

Coordinates: 52°12′15″N 0°07′00″E / 52.20417, 0.116667 (King’s College) Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
King's College, Cambridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1151 words)
King's College, Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
The college was granted a remarkable series of feudal privileges, and all of this was supported by a substantial series of endowments from the King.
Collegium Regale, the Choral Scholars of King's College, Cambridge
University of Cambridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (4155 words)
Cambridge is a member of the Russell Group, a network of large, research-led British universities; the Coimbra Group, an association of leading European universities; the LERU (League of European Research Universities), and the IARU (International Alliance of Research Universities).
Cambridge is a collegiate university, with its main functions divided between the central departments of the university and a number of colleges.
Cambridge's status as a University is further confirmed by a decree in 1233 from Pope Gregory IX which awarded the ius non trahi extra (a form of legal protection) to the chancellor and universitas of scholars at Cambridge.
  More results at FactBites »

 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your location
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.