Tour of Pembroke College Chapel

Pembroke College was founded in 1347 by Mary de St Pol, the widow of the Earl of Pembroke. In 1360 she petitioned the Pope for permission to build a College Chapel – the first in Cambridge.

In 1662 Bishop Matthew Wren fulfilled a promise he had made while imprisoned in the Tower of London, to build a new Chapel for his old College. He asked his nephew, Christopher Wren to assist with the design.It was consecrated in 1665 (The earlier chapel was converted to a library – now the Old Library).

This was the first classical building in Cambridge and displays the qualities which made Christopher Wren the natural choice for so many buildings in London following the great fire of 1666.