Editing King's College, Cambridge (section)

=== Front Court completed ===

The college remained as the Old Court, chapel and a few small surrounding buildings for nearly two-hundred years until in 1724 the architect [[James Gibbs]] provided a new plan to complete the courtyard of which the chapel formed the north side.  Although his design was for the courtyard to be closed by three similar detached [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] buildings, due to lack of funds only the western of these was constructed.  The first stone of what became known as the Gibbs' Building was laid by Provost [[Andrew Snape]], at the time also [[Chancellor (education)#Vice-chancellor|vice-chancellor]] of the university, on 25 March 1723 and the building completed six years later.

[[File:King's College, Cambridge2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The east and south sides of Front Court, designed by William Wilkins]]
Front Court was finally completed in 1828 under plans drawn up by [[William Wilkins (architect)|William Wilkins]].  The courtyard was closed by a screen and gatehouse to the east; and residential staircases either side of a hall to the south.  The southern buildings continued towards the river with a library and Provost's lodge.  All these buildings were, at the college's insistence, built in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style rather than Wilkins's preferred Neoclassical.<ref name="kings-history">{{Cite web |url=http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html |title=College history |access-date=17 July 2012 |publisher=King's College, Cambridge |archive-date=22 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222010329/http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

With the courtyard to the south of the chapel now able to accommodate the college, the land to the north was sold to the university in 1828.  It has been erroneously claimed that this was the site of the world's first bonsai tree, cultivated in King's College in the mid 18th century.<ref>Sargent, Andrew. Secret Cambridge. Amberley Publishing, 2018.</ref><ref>Taylor, Alison. Cambridge : The Hidden History. Stroud: Tempus, 2001.</ref><ref>History
of Bonsai https://www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/bonsai-history</ref>The university demolished most of the original Old Court buildings in order to make room for an extension to the [[Cambridge University Library|University Library]]; only the gateway arch opposite Clare College survives.  The library subsequently moved away from this site, known as the [[Old Schools]], and the buildings are currently used for the main administrative offices of the university.{{r|kings-history}}{{sfn|Fay|1907|p = 10}}