Fitzwilliam College, Chapel

The Fitzwilliam College Chapel in Cambridge, designed by MacCormac, Jamieson and Prichard (MJP) and built between 1990 and 1991, serves the University of Cambridge. The chapel is constructed from blue-brown brick with white concrete bands externally, while internally it has a concrete structure and white oak fittings.

The building is axially planned, continuing the line of earlier accommodation blocks and oriented east for liturgical purposes. It is arranged over two storeys, with a lower chapel in the undercroft and the main worship space above. The upper storey has a cruciform layout within the building’s drum-shaped volume.

The chapel appears as a tall drum situated between residential buildings and gardens. A two-storey opening separates it from the adjoining block, with its archway echoing the design of a previous entranceway. The upper storey has a glazed access, which lights the rear of the chapel. The north and south walls curve outwards to create the building’s circular form, punctuated by pairs of narrow slit windows. The east end features a base of curving, rough concrete bands topped by a projecting, two-storey grid of clear glass.

The chapel is entered from the ground floor, with symmetrical stairways leading to the upper worship space, or a central doorway leading down to the lower chapel. The lower chapel has walls of rough-faced concrete and a bowed ceiling finished with white oak planks, resembling a ship’s hull. The curving east wall is framed by two leaning concrete pylons supporting the structure above. Re-sited stained-glass windows and memorials from the First and Second World Wars are located to the north and south.

Ascending to the first-floor worship space, the curving stairs follow the outer walls. The balustrade leans outwards, creating the impression of a ship’s upper deck. All the timberwork including the organ is made of white oak. At the intersection of the cruciform plan is a cubic volume defined by polished concrete columns and beams. The oak roof fans outwards, supported by wooden struts from a concrete cill, and lit by roof lights. To the east, the chapel overlooks a mature plane tree and the gardens beyond. A wide oak altar or communion table serves as a liturgical focal point, with a curving underside supported by polished steel stanchions set in concrete blocks. A concealed third staircase provides access to the vestry and undercroft for the chaplain.