Ely Cathedral

Amazing. Seriously, no other words to describe Ely and their cathedral.
Elegant, beautiful, charming, wondrous. Whatever. Pick a word along those lines and it still isn’t enough.
Not a week has gone by in my life the last decade without thinking of my trip to Ely and my afternoon exploring the Cathedral.

Visited the Ely Cathedral on our last day in England. Beautiful Cathedral with great history. The cathedral has a nice bookstore with information on the church as well as a café. We luckily had the opportunity to hear a brass band play and the acoustics were amazing. Later after touring we sat and listened to the choir rehearsal. Absolutely beautiful!

Awesome cathedral. Located in Ely only 15 minutes away by rail from Cambridge. One travel here early visit the cathedral and then spend the rest of the day in Cambridge. If you have more time, spending the rest of the day in Ely would be a great way to spend a day in the country side.
The cathedral is magnificent. I would definitely recommend a tour to include the Octagon. It is an amazing part of the building. The engineering aspects of it are incredible. From the top you can look down inside the cathedral and just see how grand it is. On the roof, you have an excellent view of the surrounding area.
It is definitely worth the trip out here.

I was actually in Ely for personal reasons so it was a total bonus to be able to step in and see this jewel of a cathedral. I don’t think I can add much more background to the story than mija61 did in his/​her March 2010 Qype review. Well worth a visit from London SOLELY for the Cathedral. It happens to be a charming old town as well.

Always got something going on, and very peaceful!

Really impressive, spectacular cathedral and worth the drive to Ely. We were actually here to get a train to Manchester, and were glad to have left a bit early.

I took a day trip to Ely for the express purpose of seeing Ely Cathedral, and I am so glad I did. The cathedral is stunning! It’s literally gigantic – 576 feet long, with an uninterrupted nave of 248 feet. St. Etheldreda founded a monastery here in 673. The monastery was destroyed by the Danes, and bulding of the present building began in 1081 (yes, that’s very old building!). In 1322 the central tower fell, and «Alan of Walsingham» took the opportunity to replace the central tower with an octagonal tower. Quite a feat of engineering in any time period, let alone in the 1300s!
The interior is lovely — be sure to focus on the painted ceiling in the nave, the stained glass, and all of the decorative elements. There is also a lovely Lady Chapel, which is the largest in Britain. A guided tour is included in the price of admission. Take the tour, and then go back and wander around the areas that particuarly interest you.
I’m going to add a couple of pictures — not the best in the world, but perhaps they’ll get you interested. All in all, a fantastic place to visit.

Ely Cathedral is a fantastic landmark located in the Fens. Situated within the heart of the city centre, visiting the Cathedral would make a fantastic day out. Entry costs start from £5.50 (which include a guided tour), although you can also go into the parts of the Cathedral without having to pay.
As well as being a quiet place for spiritual retreat, Ely Cathedral has also been home to many events such as Rave in the Nave where hundreds of young people travel to see their favourite bands as well as take part in all the activities that are laid out for them — ranging from Internet Café, bouncy castle, BBQ and much more.

Ely cathedral can be seen on the drive up the A11. And as you draw nearer, its just looms more beautiful and grand on the horizon. Its one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. There is such a large amount of detailed work gone into the construction that a review like this just wouldnt do it justice. I would recommend taking a seat and staring at the painted ceiling for a while.
There is often a display going on inside. Recently they have held a fair trade show and a series of choral concerts
Even the cloisters and associated buildings nearby are not to be missed. Take a stroll to the river and look back up, the outside is just as magnificent

Lets face it, the landscape around this part of the country isn’t ever going to be described as stunning (unless you really hate hills, or even small bumps). But, should you ever find yourself passing even remotely close, I would strongly suggest a detour to Ely, and an afternoon spent exploring the great cathedral there. To describe it as a hidden gem would be an understatement. Courtesy of the flat plains around, the cathedral rises out and can be seen from miles around. I guess they had a lot of time on their hands in the middle ages in the Fens — and it shows. The place is massive, and for a town the size of Ely, even more impressive. It is one of the best preserved monasteries in the UK, having survived Henrys great asset grab more or less intact. Inside it’s vast, with some impressive stone work, and even ancient graffiti! The Lady chapel is spooky in it’s demolished catholic wall carvings (head-​less, and not-​quite removed), and even the almost long gone cloister is quite impressive (if you like abbeys, that is!).
It was Oliver Cromwells home town too, and you can visit his house (pretty much robbed of any real connection to him now).
The rest of the town is the usual mixture of cutesy houses, and horrible chavy places.
I’d recommend it to any of my overseas friends who might be doing a tour of the UK, and be in Cambridge as part of it. It’s only 30min drive away from Cambridge, and would make a brilliant afternoon trip.
It’s well worth a look, even if you happen to live in Cambridge, or be up there visiting friends.