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Chapel begun in 1500, dated 1504. The crown was blown down in 1633 and replaced by a Renaissance termination in 1634, designed by Dr Wm Gordon (professor of medicine) and executed by George Thomson. It was restored and the screen moved in 1873 and there was further restoration work in 1890-1. The chapel is aisless, built of ashlar freestone, of 6 bays with a three-sided apse. There are large traceried windows in the north side and apse, with smaller windows high up on the south. The squat southwest tower has a crown top. The antechapel is Aberdeen University's war memorial, commemorating 524 members of the University whose names are listed on the panelling around the walls. The chapel also has a stained glass window designed by Douglas Strachan and inserted in 1920 to commemorate members of the University who fell in the First World War. Observation by ACC Archaeological Unit in December 2002 of trial holes outside the chapel for a soakaway outside the chapel recorded some pieces of sandstone, possibly relating to construction of the chapel. Excavation at the Chapel was carried out by Aberdeen City Council Archaeological Unit in King's College Chapel, Aberdeen in December 2003 prior to the installation of a new organ in the chapel. The concrete from two areas of the chapel was removed by the Chap Construction prior to the start of the assessment. Loose rubble was cleaned from the surface of the trenches and natural subsoil (very compact waterwashed pebbles in reddish brown gravel) was encountered in the southern trench immediately under the hardcore below the concrete floor. A stone pier was recorded in the west section of this trench. In the northern trench, loose soil and stones were removed to reveal a cut through the natural subsoil. This cut contained loose loam, stones and gravel, and a small number of iron nails with wood adhering. The remains of a skeleton were carefully cleaned although the bone was so fragmentary that it was only possible to see the outline of the pelvis, left and right femora and the right hand. There was no evidence of bone or bone fragments in the area of the upper body (spine, ribs and skull). The orientation of the burial was with the head to the west. During the lifting of these remains, only the right femur was in a condition to be lifted in one piece and was dated to 1030-1220 AD. The grave survived to a depth of 0.40m, but the upper layers had been disturbed by previous work in the area. The organ removed recently had been installed in 1959. At that time it appears that several piers (piles of stones and bricks) were inserted under the floor for extra support. It is likely that at that time the grave was disturbed and it is possible that on this occasion the upper body was disturbed or removed. There is evidence that the chapel was under construction by 1497-8 when Bishop Elphinstone purchased gunpowder, carts and wheelbarrows (Fawcett 2000, 35). The church was dedicated in 1509 (ibid, 36). The early date of this burial suggests that there may have been an earlier religious building on the site prior to the early 16th-century chapel. Documentary evidence has not been forthcoming to confirm this theory and further research needs to be done on this following this early date for the burial. The nature of the subsoil encountered (very compact waterwashed pebbles in reddish brown gravel), appears contrary to the documentary evidence for the construction of the chapel. The site is said to have been inherently unstable because of swampiness, and extensive groundworks, involving the construction of a timber raft, were necessary before building could begin. There is no evidence from the excavation of this unstable ground. On the contrary, the pebble and gravel subsoil encountered in the two trenches suggests that the ground was stable and very suitable for building. See also NJ90NW0018 (King's College) and NJ90NW0063 for cross incised stones built into the east end wall of the chapel.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Aberdeen City
HER -
NJ90NW0917 - KING'S COLLEGE CHAPEL