Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge

Trinity College Chapel is the chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Part of a complex of Grade I listed buildings at Trinity, it dates from the mid 16th century.[2][3] It is an Anglican church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.

Trinity College Chapel
Map
52°12′27″N 0°07′03″E / 52.2074°N 0.1175°E / 52.2074; 0.1175
LocationTrinity College, Cambridge
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationAnglican
TraditionAnglo-Catholic
History
Founded1567 (1567)
Founder(s)Mary I of England, Elizabeth I
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade I listed
Designated25 April 1950[1]
Architectural typeTudor Gothic
StylePerpendicular
Years built1554–1555
Completed1567
Specifications
Length205 feet (62 m)
Width33 feet (10 m)
Laity
Director of musicSteven Grahl (from January 2024)
Music group(s)Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge

Building and architecture

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Chapel interior, c. 1870

The chapel was begun in 1554–55 by order of Queen Mary and was completed in 1567 by her half-sister, Elizabeth I.[4] The architectural style is Tudor-Gothic, with Perpendicular tracery and pinnacles. The roof is of an earlier style than the rest of the building, and may have been re-used from the chapel of King's Hall, the college which preceded Trinity on this site. Only the walls and roof are of Tudor date, but the walls were re-faced in ashlar in the 19th-century and present slate roof-covering is modern.[5] The whole chapel was restored by Edward Blore in 1832 and further work took place between 1868 and 1873 when Arthur Blomfield added the vestry, Choir-room and porch, and the Chapel re-roofed, painted and glazed.[2]

Windows

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The original white-glass windows with religious inscriptions were replaced as part of the redecoration of the chapel that took place between 1871 and 1875. The cost of the redecoration works was £20,000 (equivalent to £2.4 million in 2023) of which £11,000 (equivalent to £1.3 million in 2023) was raised by subscriptions.[6][7] This late Victorian pictorial stained glass was designed by Pre-Raphaelite artist Henry Holiday to a scheme devised by Trinity theologians, B.F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort.[8] They comprise eight windows on the north side and seven on the south side of the quire, each depicting eight figures representing features or movements of the related period, in roughly historical sequence and arranged in an upper and lower row of four. The cost of the windows was supported by donors who were Trinity alumni themselves or given in dedication to the memory of alumni.[9]

The table below contains details of each window, with Latin inscription and related article link.

Trinity College Chapel Windows
Window Theme (West) People (East) Donor(s)
North 1 Disciples of Christ S. MARIA MAGD.
Mary Magdalene
S. THOMAS
Thomas the Apostle
S. MARTHA
Martha
S. MARIA MARTHÆ SOROR
Mary, sister of Martha
T. J. Phillips Jodrell
NICODEMUS
Nicodemus
S. NATHANIEL
Saint Nathaniel
S. PHILIPPUS
Philip the Apostle
S. ANDREAS
Andrew the Apostle
South 1 Evangelists and Teachers S. IACOBUS MI.
James the Less
S. PETRUS
Saint Peter
S. PAULUS
Paul the Apostle
APOLLOS
Apollos
Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro
S. MATTHAEUS
Matthew the Apostle
S. MARCUS
Mark the Evangelist
S. LUCAS
Luke the Evangelist
S. JOHANNES
St John the Evangelist
North 2 The Ante-Nicene Church S. CYPRIANUS
Cyprian
ORIGENES
Origen
TERTULLIANUS
Tertullian
S. PERPETUA
Perpetua
William George Clark
S. PANTÆNUS
Pantænus
S. JUSTINUS MAR.
Justin Martyr
S. IGNATIUS
Ignatius of Antioch
S. CLEMENS ROM.
Pope Clement I
South 2 The Church of the First Days CORNELIVS
Cornelius the Centurion
S. DIONYSIVS
Dionysius the Areopagite
LYDIA
Lydia of Thyatira
ONESIMVS
Onesimus
Revd Henry John Hotham[note 1]
S. BARNABAS
Barnabas
S. STEPHANVS
Saint Stephen
S. TIMOTHEVS
Saint Timothy
PHŒBE
Phoebe
North 3 The Western Church S. GREGORIUS M.
Pope Gregory I
S. BENEDICTUS
Benedict of Nursia
S. LEO MAGNUS
Pope Leo I
S. MARTIN TUR.
Martin of Tours
Revd Spencer Mansel, in memory of William Lort Mansel
S. AUGUSTINUS HIP.
Augustine of Hippo
S. MONNICA
Saint Monica
S. HIERONYMUS
Jerome
S. AMBROSIUS
Ambrose
South 3 The Eastern Church EUSEBIUS PAMPH.
Eusebius
IMP. CONSTANTINUS M.
Constantine the Great
HELENA AUG.
Helena, mother of Constantine I
IMP. JUSTINIANUS
Justinian I
Mrs Thrupp in memory of Joseph Francis Thrupp
S. ATHANASIUS
Athanasius of Alexandria
S. BASILIUS M.
Basil of Caesarea
S. EPHRAEM SYRUS
Ephrem the Syrian
S. JO. CHRYSOSTOMUS
John Chrysostom
North 4 Latin Christianity GIOTTUS
Giotto
FRANCISCUS ASSIS
Francis of Assisi
GREGORIUS VII
Pope Gregory VII
COLUMBANUS
Columbanus
Coutts Trotter
DANTES ALLIGH
Dante Alighieri
LUDOVICUS IX
Louis IX of France
THOMAS AQUINAS
Thomas Aquinas
IMP. CAROLUS M.
Charlemagne
South 4 The Anglo-Saxon Church BONAFACIUS AP. GER.
Saint Boniface
BEDA VENERABILIS
Bede
ALCUINUS
Alcuin
ALFREDUS REX
Alfred the Great
Mrs Mathison, in memory of the Revd William Collings Mathison[note 2]
ALBANUS MARTYR
Saint Alban
AUGUSTINUS ARCH. CANT.
Augustine of Canterbury
BERTHA REG. CANT.
Bertha of Kent
THEODORUS ARCH. CANT.
Theodore of Tarsus
North 5 English Ecclesiastical Life before the Reformation WOLSEY CARDINALIS
Thomas Wolsey
GULIELMUS EP. WINTON
William of Wykeham
ROBERTUS EP. LINCOLN
Robert Grosseteste
HUGO EP. LINCOLN
Hugh of Avalon
Augustus Arthur VanSittart
STEPHANUS ARCHIEP. CANT.
Stephen Langton
THOMAS ARCHIEP. CANT.
Thomas Becket
ANSELMUS ARCHIEP. CANT.
Anselm of Canterbury
LANFRANCUS ARCHIEP. CANT
Lanfranc
South 5 English National Life before the Reformation EDWARDUS WALL PR.
Edward the Black Prince
JO. DUNS SCOTUS
Duns Scotus
GALFR. CHAUCER
Geoffrey Chaucer
GULL. CAXTON
William Caxton
Joseph Barber Lightfoot
SIMON DE MONTFORT
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
MATTHÆUS PARIS
Matthew Paris
EDWARDUS PRIMUS
Edward I of England
FR. ROGER BACON
Roger Bacon
North 6 Founders and Benefactors of the University and College MARIA REG.
Mary I of England
HENRICUS VIII
Henry VIII of England
EDWARDUS III
Edward III of England
HERV. DE STANTON
Hervey de Stanton
Benjamin Gray
H. DE BALSHAM EP. EL.
Hugh de Balsham
HENRICUS III
Henry III of England
ETHELDREDA ABB.
Æthelthryth
SIGEBERTUS ANGLOR. REX
Sigeberht of East Anglia
South 6 The English Reformation H. LATIMER EP. VIG.
Hugh Latimer
EDWARDUS VI
Edward VI
N. RIDLEY EP. LOND.
Nicholas Ridley
ELIZABETH REG.
Elizabeth I
Robert Burn
IO. WYCLIFFE
John Wycliffe
DES. ERASMUS
Erasmus
W. TYNDALE
William Tyndale
T. CRANMER ARCHIEP.
Thomas Cranmer
North 7 University and College Worthies T. NEVILE
Thomas Nevile
IO. WHITGIFT ARCH.
John Whitgift
M. BUCER
Martin Bucer
IO. REDMAN
John Redman
Edward William Blore
C. TUNSTALL. EP. DUN.
Cuthbert Tunstall
IO. FISHER EP. ROFF.
John Fisher
IO. DE BAGGESHOTE
John de Baggeshott[note 3]
GU. DE BUXTON
Walter de Buxton[note 4]
South 7 Worthies of the College H. SPELMAN
Henry Spelman
IO. DOM. CRAVEN
John Craven, 1st Baron Craven of Ryton
A. MARVEL
Andrew Marvell
IO. HACKET EP. LICH.
John Hacket
M.R. Cope, Esq., in memory of his brother, the Revd Edward Meredith Cope
FR. BACON
Francis Bacon
IO. DONNE
John Donne
G. HERBERT
George Herbert
E. COKE.
Edward Coke
North 8 Worthies of Trinity College R. BENTLEY
Richard Bentley
IS. NEWTON
Isaac Newton
R. COTES
Roger Cotes
IO. RAY
John Ray
Joseph Prior,[note 5] Mrs Thompson in memory of George Peacock and Charles de la Pryme in memory of George Pryme
IO. DRYDEN
John Dryden
A. COWLEY
Abraham Cowley
IS. BARROW
Isaac Barrow
IO. PEARSON
John Pearson

Memorials

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There are many memorials to former fellows of Trinity within the chapel,[13] some statues, some brasses, including two memorials to graduates and fellows who died during both World Wars. There are also several graves dating from earlier periods.[5]

Organ

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The chapel has a fine organ, originally built by "Father" Smith in 1694. Many alterations were made over the years until, in 1913, an almost totally new organ was built. Some of the pipes were so large that they would not fit in the organ loft and instead had to stand in a corner of the ante-chapel. In 1976 the present mechanical-action instrument, based on the surviving pipework and within the original cases, was completed by the Swiss firm Metzler Söhne. There are regular recitals on Sundays during term time.[14]

Choir

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The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge is composed of around thirty male and female Choral Scholars and two Organ Scholars, all of whom are undergraduates of the College. Besides singing the liturgy in the chapel, the choir has an extensive programme of performances and recordings. The current Director of Music is Steven Grahl.[15]

Burial ground

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The Ascension Parish Burial Ground contains the graves or interred cremations of twenty-seven fellows of Trinity College, including three Vice-Masters.

List of deans of Chapel

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The Dean of Chapel holds responsibility for the Chapel and the Clergy at Trinity.

List of memorials/graves

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Statue of Francis Bacon by Henry Weekes
 
Statue of Isaac Barrow by Matthew Noble
 
Daniel Lock by Louis-François Roubiliac
 
Thomas Babington Macaulay by Thomas Woolner
 
Statue of Isaac Newton by Roubillac
 
Statue of Alfred, Lord Tennyson
 
William Whewell by Thomas Woolner
Name Artefact Notes
Herbert Mayow Adams Brass
John Frank Adams Brass
Edgar Douglas Adrian Brass
Richard Appleton Brass
William Joscelyn Arkell Brass
Francis William Aston Brass
Humphrey Babington Interment
Francis Bacon Statue by Weekes, 1845, donated by Daniel Lock.[19][20]
Thomas Bainbrig Interment
Francis Maitland Balfour Brass
Isaac Barrow Statue by Noble, 1853 presented 1858.[21]
Edward Bathurst Interment
John Beaumont Interment Fellow. d. 6 June 1565. Buried in Ante-Chapel.[22]
William John Beaumont Interment
Edward White Benson Brass
Richard Bentley Interment
Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch Brass
Anthony Ashley Bevan Brass
Alfred Maurice Binnie Brass
Maurice Black Brass
Edward William Blore Brass
Interment
Anchitel Harry Fletcher Boughey Brass
William Lawrence Bragg Brass
Daniel Bratteli Interment
Charlie Dunbar Broad Brass
Benjamin Chapman Browne Brass
Isaac Hawkins Browne Sculpture
John(?) Browning Interment d.1598. Buried in Ante-Chapel floor.[23]
Francis Crawford Burkitt Brass
Robert Burn Brass
John Burnaby Brass
Samuel Henry Butcher Brass
Henry Montagu Butler Brass
James Ramsay Montagu Butler Brass
Richard Austen Butler Brass
John Walton Capstick Brass
Edward Hallett Carr Brass
Arthur Cayley Brass
George Chare Sculpture
Interment
George Sidney Roberts Kitson Clark Brass
John Willis Clark Brass
Gerard Francis Cobb Brass
Patrick Cock Interment
Nathanael Cole Interment
John Cooper Interment Fellow and Proctor. Vicar of Barrington. Died 9 December 1714.[24][25][26]
William Corker Interment
Francis MacDonald Cornford Brass
Roger Robert Cotes Sculpture
Peter Courthope Interment
William Cunningham Brass
Henry Hallett Dale Brass
William Cecil Dampier Dampier Brass
George Howard Darwin Brass
Harold Davenport Brass
John Davies Sculpture 1744–1817. Vice-Master; botanist.[27]
Basil Denis Dennis-Jones Sculpture
Maurice Herbert Dobb Brass
Peter Paul Dobree Sculpture
William Drury Interment
James Duff Duff Brass
Patrick William Duff Brass
Frederick James Dykes Brass
Arthur Stanley Eddington Brass
Henry Outram Evennett Brass
Frederick Field Brass
Walter Morley Fletcher Brass
Michael Foster Brass 8 March 1836 – 29 January 1907.[28]
Ralph Howard Fowler Brass
James George Frazer Brass
Otto Robert Frisch Brass
John Andrew Gallagher Brass
James Whitbread Lee Glaisher Brass
George Peabody Gooch Brass
Harry Chester Goodhart Brass
William Gostwycke Interment
Andrew Sydenham Farrar Gow Brass
Alan Gray Brass
Andrew Hacket Interment
James Lemprière Hammond Brass
Charles John Hamson Brass
Godfrey Harold Hardy Brass
Ernest Harrison Brass
Samuel Hawkes Sculpture
William(?) Herbert Interment Bachelor of Divinity and Fellow, 1657–15 November 1715.[29]
David Arthur Gilbert Hinks Brass
Alan Lloyd Hodgkin Brass
Henry Arthur Hollond Brass
Francis Hooper Sculpture
Frederick Gowland Hopkins Brass
Fenton John Anthony Hort Brass
Alfred Edward Housman Brass
Thomas Percy Hudson Brass
Hugo McLeod Innes Brass
Henry Jackson Brass
Richard Claverhouse Jebb Brass
Francis John Henry Jenkinson Brass
Thomas Jones Sculpture by Joseph Nollekens.[30]
Piotr Leonidovich Kapitza Brass
Alan Ker Brass
Charles William King Brass
Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick Brass
George Sidney Roberts Kitson Clark Brass
Arthur Harold John Knight Brass
James Lambert Sculpture in Vestry. Regius Professor of Greek. 7 March 1741 – 28 April 1823.[31]
John Newport Langley Brass
Gaillard Thomas Lapsley Brass
Reginald Vere Laurence Brass
Ralph Alexander Leigh Brass
Gerald Ponsonby Lenox-Conyngham Brass
Joseph Barber Lightfoot Brass
Denis Dionysius Interment
John Edensor Littlewood Brass
Daniel Lock Sculpture by Roubillac, north wall of the Ante-Chapel.[20]
Henry Richards Luard Brass
William Lynnet Interment
Thomas Babington Macaulay Statue by Woolner, 1868.[32]
Charles Fox Maitland Sculpture
Frederick William Maitland Brass
Frederick Malkin Sculpture
Frederick George Mann Brass
William Lort Mansel Interment
Francis Martin Brass on south wall of the Ante-Chapel. 1802–1868. Senior Bursar; Vice-Master.[33]
John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart Brass
Moore Meredith Interment
Hubert Stanley Middleton Brass
George Edward Moore Brass
Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro Brass
Hugh Frank Newall Brass
Isaac Newton Statue by Roubillac, presented 1755.[19]
Tressilian Charles Nicholas Brass
Reynold Alleyne Nicholson Brass
John North Interment
Charles William Oatley Brass
Carl Frederick Abel Pantin Brass
Reginald St John Parry Brass
Alfred Chilton Pearson Brass
Richard Porson Sculpture
Interment
John Percival Postgate Brass
Joseph Prior Brass
Mark Gillachrist Marlborough Pryor Brass
Srinavasa Ramanujan Brass
Robert Mantle Rattenbury Brass
Dennis Holme Robertson Brass
Donald Struan Robertson Brass
John Arthur Thomas Robinson Brass
Robert Robson Brass
Thomas Rotherham Interment
Francis John Worsley Roughton Brass
Walter William Rouse Ball Brass
William Albert Hugh Rushton Brass
Bertrand Russell Brass
Ernest Rutherford Brass
Martin Ryle Brass
Francis Henry Sandbach Brass
Thomas Secford Interment
Adam Sedgwick Brass
Interment
Thomas Kynaston Selwyn Sculpture
Richard Sheepshanks Sculpture
Henry Sidgwick Brass
Frederick Arthur Simpson Brass
Elizmar Smith Brass
Robert Smith Interment
Thomas Smith Interment Senior Fellow and Vice-Master. Vicar of Chesterton. 1658–1714.[34][35]
James Spedding Sculpture
Piero Sraffa Brass
Charles Villiers Stanford Brass
Vincent Henry Stanton Brass
Richard Stevenson Sculpture by William Grinsell Nicholl on the south wall of the Ante-Chapel.19 October 1811 – 28 September 1837.[36]
Hugo Fraser Stewart Brass
James Stuart Brass
Geoffrey Ingram Taylor Brass
Henry Martyn Taylor Brass
Sedley Taylor Brass
Frederick Robert Tennant Brass
Alfred, Lord Tennyson Statue
Arthur Thacker Interment
William Hepworth Thompson Brass
Interment
Joseph John Thomson Brass
Thomas Thorp Brass
George Macaulay Trevelyan Brass
Coutts Trotter Brass
Walter Ullmann Brass
Ralph Vaughan Williams Brass
Arthur Woollgar Verrall Brass
John Michal Kenneth Vyvyan Brass
Thomas Attwood Walmisley Brass
Edward Walpole Interment
James Ward Brass
Brooke Foss Westcott Brass
William Whewell Statue by Woolner, 1872.[37]
Interment
Stephen Whisson Interment
Alfred North Whitehead Brass
John Willis Clark Brass
John Wilson Interment in Ante-Chapel. Fellow; Tutor; Senior Bursar. Vicar of Over and Chesterton. d. 26 October 1754.[38][39]
Denys Arthur Winstanley Brass
Carl Winter Brass
Arthur John Terence Dibben Wisdom Brass
Ludwig Wittgenstein Brass
John Wordsworth Sculpture
Interment
William Aldis Wright Brass

Notes

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  1. ^ Hotham, Henry John, 1814–1900 (clergyman)[10]
  2. ^ Mathison, William Collings, 1817/8–1870 (educationalist and clergyman)[11]
  3. ^ John de Baggeshott: First Warden of the King’s Scholars, 1316
  4. ^ Walter de Buxton: Master of Michaelhouse 1324–1328
  5. ^ Prior, Joseph (1854–1918) Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College Cambridge[12]

References

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  1. ^ Historic England. "Trinity College, The Buildings surrounding Great Court, Nevile's Court and New Court, and including King's Hostel (Grade I) (1106371)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b Historic England (26 April 1950). "Trinity College, The Buildings surrounding Great Court, Nevile's Court and New Court, and including King's Hostel (1106371)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Trinity College, the Buildings Surrounding Great Court, Nevile's Court and New Court, and Including – Cambridge – Cambridgeshire –– England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  4. ^ Willis 1886, pp. 469–472.
  5. ^ a b "Trinity College Chapel – The Building". trinitycollegechapel.com. Trinity College Chapel. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  6. ^ Willis 1886, p. 588.
  7. ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  8. ^ "The windows of Trinity College Chapel". trinitycollegechapel.com. Trinity College Chapel. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  9. ^ Willis 1886, pp. 591–597.
  10. ^ "Hotham, Henry John, 1814–1900 (clergyman)". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Mathison, William Collings, 1817/8–1870 (educationalist and clergyman)". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Prior, Joseph (1854–1918) Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College Cambridge". archives.trin.cam.ac.uk. Trinity College, Cambridge. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Index of memorials in Trinity College Chapel and Ante-Chapel". Trinity College Chapel. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  14. ^ "The Organ of Trinity College Chapel Cambridge". Trinity College Chapel. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Trinity College Choir". Trinity College Choir. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Ecclesiastical intelligence – new Bishop of Durham". The Times. No. 36539. London. 21 August 1901. p. 8.
  17. ^ "Trinity College Chapel – Frederick Arthur Simpson".
  18. ^ "New Dean of Chapel Appointed". Trinity College, Cambridge. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  19. ^ a b Willis 1886, p. 600.
  20. ^ a b "Daniel Lock". trinitycollegechapel.com. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  21. ^ Willis 1886, pp. 600–601.
  22. ^ "John Beaumont". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Index of memorials". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  24. ^ "John cooper". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  25. ^ Venn, John; Venn, J. A., eds. (1922). Alumni Cantabrigienses. Vol. I.1. Cambridge University Press. p. 391.
  26. ^ "Person: Cooper, John (1698–1715)". Clergy of the Church of England database. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  27. ^ "John Davies". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  28. ^ "Sir Michael Foster". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  29. ^ "William Herbert". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  30. ^ "Thomas Jones". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  31. ^ "James Lambert". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  32. ^ Willis 1886, p. 601.
  33. ^ "Francis Martin". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Thomas Smith". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Person: Smith, Thomas (1692–1711)". Clergy of the Church of England database. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Richard Stevenson". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  37. ^ Willis 1886, p. 602.
  38. ^ "John Wilson". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  39. ^ "Person: Wilson, John (1727–1752)". Clergy of the Church of England database. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

Bibliography

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