As I have tried to argue elsewhere the possible artistic essence of Cambridge University in England may be wrapped up in the conjoined volumes of the adjacent Gothic Chapel and 18th century Gibbs Fellows’ Building at King’s College there. This is a compelling and iconic image when viewed from the Backs: so much so that it could very well be placed on the front of a pound sterling or the Euro.
- King’s Chapel and the Gibbs Building from the Backs
There is a history of eminent economists coming out of King’s, the most famous of which is John Maynard Keynes whose ideas are very much in vogue these days. And although as a wealthy old college it is not quite the money magnet of nearby Trinity (whose endowment is over £600,000,000) the college is worth a quite respectable £121,000,000.
One idea concerning the architecture of King’s College and its posh - although inclusive - ambience is that the juxtaposition of the volumes in cubic feet of the two buildings mentioned above might well be the occult generator for wealth and power there and in all the British Isles.
The Chapel is about 924,800 ft3, the Gibbs Building about 595,936.5 ft3. Each number divided by 800 gives us the more compact - even portable - proportion of 1156: 744.92 (or 745). A paper currency bill of these dimensions - 11.56 cm x 7.45 cm - might be a good fit and ensure an inflation-proof paper currency throughout the ages, as King’s was founded by Henry VI in 1441 and the University of Cambridge as a whole is celebrating its 800th birthday this year of 2009.
Through the many ups and downs of history over the ages, kings and queens elevated or deposed, Cambridge University has survived and even flourished almost a millennium, and the royal foundation of King’s at Cambridge nearly the same length of time. What could be more attractive to skittish investors in these present unstable times than an international economy based on two-dimensional paper currency which is in turn founded upon a compelling architectural essence at an ancient European seat of learning, government and power.
John Devlin (St Edmund’s, 1979)
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