I drove down to Ely one morning to have a look at one of the more prominent cathedrals in the area. It was only about an hour away so visiting it wasn’t difficult at all. The Cathedral at Ely has an interesting history and has been around in various forms is appears since the 7th century I believe. You would think that under normal circumstances a town develops and then a cathedral is built but the exact opposite appears to have taken place here. Monks built the cathedral and a town was built around it.
I took a bunch of pictures as I walked around the area and it was as you can appreciate, filled with tourists. The city is remarkably clean and well kept and oddly enough, parking is free. Or, at least it was when I was there. I pulled in to a parking lot not far from the cathedral and began walking around in search for a meter to pay for a ticket which is what you normally do in England. Some locals asked me what I was searching for and I explained I was attempting to purchase a parking slip. They informed me “This is Ely, you don’t pay for parking here”. This was a nice surprise as I had become accustomed to paying.
So I wandered over in the direction of the Cathedral and proceeded to have a tour and grab some photos. The pages that follow provide a glimpse of what you can see in the area
The place was bustling with tourists all heading in the direction of the Cathedral and people were coming out of every street and alley I passed. I stopped at a couple of places along the way to sample some of the breakfast foods and search through the souvenir shops as I am a tourist, but found nothing of interest.
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely. It is the main church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. Locally it is known as as “the ship of the Fens”, because of its prominent shape that towers above the surrounding flat and watery landscape.
So, I purchased my ticket and wandered in the place. This was the largest cathedral I had been in at the time and the craftsmanship is amazing. You can see in these photos the work that went into this place. It is very ornate with much color scheme of the carvings and sculptures still quite vivid. I didn’t check but I imagine there is quite a bit of ongoing maintenance as the structure is remarkably well preserved. As is the case with all of these structures I have visited they are cool probably by design as the ceilings are quite high and very ornamental I should add. I think I saw some radiant type heater along the wall but still I dont’ see how they could possibly add much heat to a place of this scale. The people who have worked here throughout the centuries must really be dedicated.
As I wandered around I saw quite a few saints, knights, royals and various other notable figures from history entombed. It must be a privilige to be entombed in these structures as every one I visited if quite filled with them.
It’s a magnificent structure as you can see and I spent several hours wandering around it.
The Cathedral at Ely is amazing, aside from the fact it has managed to remain in some form for over 1000 years, it is filled with magnificent carvings, sculptures and the tombs of historical figures. Not all are famous I imagine, but there they area for all to see and wonder how they managed to secure a place in history.
I came in via the west entryway called the West porch I think and it constructed from Barnock stone and Purbeck marble from Dorset and its design is English Gothic.
Here are a few of the areas and items of interest I visited or took pictures of: The Galilee porch, The West Tower, The Southwest Transept, The Nave, The Nave Ceiling, The Prior’s Door, The South Transept, The Octagon, The North Transept, The Processional Way, The Lady Chapel, The North Choir Aisle, St Etheldreda’s Chapel, The East Window, the South Choir Aisle, The Presbytery and the Choir.
If you have a chance read a bit of St Etheldreda, she has an interesting history, was married twice and managed to remain a virgin and eventually devote herself to God and the construction of one or more religious structures.
Note: I was reading some information about the Cathedral and it turns out this places costs around £6000 per day to run. There is an admission fee but it appears if you are unable to pay the staff will work with you.
The center of the church has enormous columns running down both sides as is the norm with Cathedrals it appears. And, as I mentioned earlier there are notables and people who were associated with the Cathedral entombed throughout.
You can see one of them here, if you enlarge the photo it is obvious whoever is enshrined here was a prominent religious figure as the regalia is carved out in stone. The detail is fascinating and there are inscriptions along with a sign. It must have been very time-consuming and expensive to create with the ornate carvings all out of stone.
The woodwork I saw as I moved thorough the tourist route is impressive in and of itself. The chairs, pedestals, shrines and lecterns and finely crafted wall overlays are incredibly intricate.
parts of this cathedral were damaged or destroyed at several points in the past and somehow the locals managed to find the time, money and craftsmen to rebuild … Amazing.
I was especially impressed with the illumination and stained glass windows throughout the structure. Despite the size of the building is quite well-lit without losing the serenity of the environment. The windows are beautiful with their ornate design, colors.
As I was walking around I noticed a labyrinth over at the West Tower. Turns out it was built some time during the 19th century and isn’t designed to get anyone lost, which is fortunate. One of the signs I read indicated that the length of the labyrinth is the same distance as the height of the ceiling. It is supposedly related to life and it’s journey, interesting association.
As I walked through it seems the entire thing contains sculptures, etchings, carvings and ornate pieces of work. Even the floor contains tombs, and carvings and as you walk around you can read who is buried under your feet.
he exterior of the Cathedral is impressive in case I haven’t mentioned it. The size and intricacy of the structure is intended to convey the power and wealth of the Normans and the Clergy and it does that quite well.
Of course the Normans are long since gone and the interest in religion has continued to wane but the magnificence of this structure continues.
As I toured I noticed a few clergy running services throughout the day as well as individuals associated with the church worshiping on their own.
This must have been quite a place in it’s glory days based on what still exists.
If you ever have the chance to visit Ely I suggest you to, the locals are friendly, it is easy to park and the cathedral is awe inspiring.
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