Ely

July 10th

Hooray, a few days off! We had booked a weekend with friends at Center Parcs in Norfolk, so we decided to take a couple of extra days. So this morning, we set off to drive, in a slow and leisurely fashion, to Kings Lynn where we are going to an art exhibition tomorrow.

I had intended to be off by 10, but somehow or other, mostly because of tidying up and watering all the plants on our terrace, we didn't manage to get away until 11. That gave us plenty of time though, and by lunch time we'd gone over 100 miles and were at the top of the M11. We stopped for lunch at a cafe attached to a farm shop, and then drove slowly into Ely, where Paul had never been before, with the intention of visiting the cathedral.

We also had a brief look round the town, which is tiny and rather attractive - this is a little cottage on the route from the car park to the cathedral.




The old brick wall on the left is part of the cathedral precincts, I think.
Fairly near that is a green at the centre of the town where you will find Oliver Cromwell's house.



We didn't have time to go in on this occasion, but might go into Ely again on Friday, so there may be time then.

Ely cathedral is built on what was once an island in the Fens, a low-lying marsh, so it rises high above the surrounding landscape and is often referred to as 'the Ship of the Fens'. Ely Cathedral History and Heritage says "Wherever you went in the Fen country you had only to look up and see it there, riding the sky like a great ship", and you can certainly see it from a long way away as you drive up the A10. This is a rather nearer view.



The last time I visited it, which must have been 18 or 19 years ago, I have the impression that it was much whiter, but I seem to recall it had then been very recently cleaned.

That strange-looking round thing on the bottom left centre of the photograph is a Russian cannon captured during the Crimean War. The mouth of the cannon is facing right towards you.

There have been religious buildings on the Isle of Ely since the year 673, when a monastery was founded by Etheldreda, who later became St Etheldreda. Her tomb became a place of pilgrimage, and by the year 970, there was a Benedictine monastery on the site. Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Fens refused to submit to William the Conquerer, and the area was not subdued until 1071. The Normans then set to work creating a monumental statement of power and wealth, Ely Cathedral. Building began in 1083, and continued for almost 100 years. When you enter, you are in the original Norman part.




You can see the massive pillars and rounded Norman arches. The nave is very long; it is the third longest Cathedral in Britain. Above this Norman part, you can see the wooden medieval ceiling, which was painted in Victorian times.

In 1322, the central tower collapsed in a heap of rubble. A 74ft wide octagon tower was constructed in its place, and this is now regarded as the jewel in Elys crown. It is capped by a lantern tower.



You can perhaps see, in this rather dark photo, that the arches are now pointed and gothic, and the pillars are slimmer. The lantern is decorated with paintings of angels, though I am afraid they are impossible to photograph because so much light comes through the glass in the lantern. Beyond the lantern, the fan vaulted ceiling over the choir which is hardly visible in my photo is a stone ceiling - by that time, builders had learned to support the weight by using flying buttresses.

At around the same time, the Lady Chapel was built at the side of the cathedral and completed in 1349. It is an astonishing confection of white stone, full of light from huge windows and so almost impossible to photograph. I couldn't manage a decent overall photo, but this might give a flavour of it.



You can see the intricate detail of the carving and the pale hue of the stone - though it was even paler the last time I was here.

The monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. Ely suffered less than many other monasteries, but even so, statues were destroyed together with carvings and stained glass. St Etheldreda's Shrine, which had attracted so many pilgrims in the past, was also destroyed. The spot where it stood is now marked by a ring of tall candles in sconces on the floor.

I wish I could include more photos, I have neatly 50 of the cathedral, including many of the wonderful carvings and decorations, and the lovely stained glass. But my connection in the wilds of Norfolk is very flaky, and there is no phone signal here at all. So I am being quite careful not to make this post too big - if it will even post at all.

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