King’s College Chapel in Cambridge was completed in 1515.
The chapel’s construction began in 1446 under Henry VI and continued in stages through the Wars of the Roses and the reigns of several English kings. Work progressed slowly: by 1485, five bays and a timber roof had been completed, but the building was not yet finished.
Henry VII helped restart and finance the work after visiting Cambridge in 1506. Under Henry VIII, the main building was completed in 1515. This date refers to the chapel’s architectural completion; its great stained-glass windows were installed later, from 1515 to 1531, so the interior decoration continued after the structure itself was finished.
The chapel is a leading example of late Perpendicular Gothic architecture. Its most celebrated feature is the world’s largest fan vault, built between 1512 and 1515 by master mason John Wastell. The early Renaissance rood screen was added in 1532–36, another reason dates such as 1531 or 1536 can be confused with the chapel’s completion date.