King's College is located on the west side of the street, hence the name, and dominates the scene with the east end of its large Chapel on view.

[9] When the King's College Gatehouse (porters' lodge) and Screen were built in the 1830s, the previous west side of the street was completely demolished.

In Ted Hughes: The Life of A Poet by Elaine Feinstein, Sylvia Plath is described sitting in Millers Wine parlour in 1956, reading a review article.

[11] Since then it has occupied various establishments, including the wine bars Gough Bros (1972) and Shades (1972–1992), The English Teddy Bear Company (late 1990s–early 2000s) and a restaurant/bar by the name of No.1 King's Parade (until 2006).

The building is now occupied by Inner Space Meditation Centre At the southern end of King's Parade, on the corner of Corpus Christi College in Trumpington Street, is the Corpus Clock, a new piece of art installed in 2008 that has also become a significant tourist attraction.