King's College

I am a bit biased about Cambridge only because I live here, I am writing this as I sit in Starbucks over looking the market. 

In order to appreciate all that England has to offer, you really must brush up on your history. I have decided to start picking 30 things about the different cities in East Anglia, hopefully to get some ideas rolling on places you can visit.

One of my favourite ones in Cambridge is, of course, King's College. If you live withing 12 miles from it you can get a pass that allows you to get in as many times as you would like. Be careful of letting someone else use it though as they do check if you are the owner. The application can be obtained at the King's College shop across the street.

I used work in Sweaty Betty, which is literally down the road from King's, so I would go there on my lunch on a nice day to look around.

King's College's foundation began under Henry VI and took 70 years to complete. The stained glass windows were installed under Henry VIII. They were removed during the Second World War to prevent damage.

One of my most favourite things about Kings is that you can still see King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's (his second of six wives) initials still carved in the oak screen. They were only married  3 years until he had her beheaded. If you have seen/read 'The Other Boleyn Girl' by Phillipa Gregory, you should know some of the story. She is significant because their union began the divide between England and the Catholic Church. He wanted a divorce from his first wife, Catherine, who was previously married to his brother but he died shortly after.

The second thing I really like is the fan-vaulted ceiling. This is quite impressive and the one seen in this Gothic church is one of the biggest. There are small keystones that are placed between them which is keeping the structure up. Thinking about how they built this place without the technology that we have today, it is mind boggling. 

When you walk into Kings, it is quite serene and the ambiance is amazing. You can attend evensongs which I am told is just as good as the Carol Service performed on Christmas Eve.

If school is not in session, you will be able to walk around the rest of the grounds. You can take in how big this building is. There is a law that nothing is allowed to be built taller than Kings College unless they pay a huge fee to Cambridge University. 

If you have time, two different views of Kings that are great are from The Backs (the other side of the river) and Great St Mary's Church which is right across the street from Kings.

Well, I hope that you will enjoy the places that are going to becoming and see that England has a lot to offer.