Ely Cathedral - The Cathedral Church of The Holy and Undivided Trinity in Ely - Cathedrals on Waymarking.com

Built by William the Conqueror as a prominent outpost after the bloody and lengthy rebellion by Hereward he Wake, Ely Cathedral stands as a fine example of William's devotion to his Religion and to his overwhelming victory for the Heart's and Minds of that mixed of all races called the britons... Less well known is that "The Lord Protector", OLIVER CROMWELL closed the Cathedral for 10 years, or thereabouts, due to a falling out with the local (Catholic) Clergy. Cromwell used it as a stable for his Calvary Horses..! As Cromwell's puritan religion demanded, he worshipped God. We can only presume Oliver viewed the Cathedral as a Norman Castle, which is exactly what it is...perhaps..

The present cathedral was started by Abbot Simeon (1082-1094, brother of Walkelin, the then bishop of Winchester) under William I in 1083. Building continued under Simeon's successor, Abbot Richard (1100-1107). The Anglo-Saxon church was demolished, but some of its relics, such as the remains of its benefactors, were moved to the cathedral. The main transepts were built early on, crossing the nave below a central tower, and are the oldest surviving part of the cathedral. The West Tower was built between 1174 and 1197, and the Romanesque style of the west front overall shows that it was built in the 12th century, with the later addition of the Galilee porch (1198-1215). The west tower is 66m high (215ft). The unique Octagon 'Lantern Tower' was constructed during the 1300s and replaced the old central tower which collapsed. 'The Lantern' is 23m (74ft) wide and is 52m (170ft) high. From the floor to central roof boss 'The Lantern' is 43m (142ft) high.


The cathedral is built from stone quarried from Barnack in Northamptonshire (bought from Peterborough Abbey, whose lands included the quarries, for 8000 eels a year), with decorations in Purbeck Marble and local clunch. The plan of the building is cruciform (cross-shaped), with the altar at the east end.
The total length is 537 feet (163.7 m)[6], and with the nave at over 75 m long (250ft), remains the longest in Britain.

Attached to the north transept is the Lady Chapel (built 1321-1349 in the Decorated style) by the sacrist Alan of Walsingham. It was to his plans, too, that the octagonal tower or octagon (1322-1328) was built after Simeon's original crossing tower collapsed in 1322, injuring nobody but destroying the choir. This central octagon rises from the whole breadth of the building and towers up until its roof, a wooden lantern, forms the only Gothic dome in existence. The north-west transept collapsed in the 15th century and was never rebuilt, leaving a scar on the outside of that corner that can still be seen. Dating from the early 16th century, is a set of 44 misericords.


details from WIKIPEDIA and other sources.

Address: Ely Cathedral Chapter House The College Ely Cambridgeshire CB7 4DL England Religious affiliation: Church of England Date founded or constructed: 1083/01/01 Web site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
1.Describe your visit, including the date, with as much detail as possible
2.Provide at least one original photograph – no need to include your GPS in the picture

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/24/2021 fm1906 visited it 11/20/2019 Master Mariner visited it 01/17/2015 Hill Hikers visited it 04/14/2013 Smithbats visited it 11/04/2012 Dragontree visited it 10/10/2010 ThePorterPack visited it

View all visits/logs