Ely Cathedral

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Ely Cathedral Description

Before the drainage of the Fens, Ely was an island in the midst of the marshland. In the seventh century St Ethelreda, queen of Northumbria, founded an abbey here, later occupied by the Benedictines. The present building was begun by Simeon, the first Norman abbot, in 1083, and by 1109, when the bishopric of Ely was founded, the eastern part was complete. The western half was completed in 1180-90. In 1322 the Norman crossing tower collapsed. Unlike other churches where this happened - as it did not infrequently - the cathedral was not given a new spire but a unique stone octagon surmounted by an octagonal timber lantern. The new structure, completed in 1342, is of remarkable harmony and beauty.

Hobbies & Activities category: Architecture - Medieval; Towers, monuments, observation deck; Christian sites

Ely Cathedral Highlights

Buildings

The surviving conventual buildings of Ely Cathedral are occupied by the King's School, among them the beautiful Prior Crauden's Chapel and the Queen's Hall. The vicarage of St Mary's Church was

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Interior

On entering the cathedral through the beautiful west doorway the visitor's first impression is of the astonishing lightness of the 248ft/76m-long nave, typically Norman in style though it is. This

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Stained Glass Museum

In the main body of Ely Cathedral are excellent examples of 19th C stained glass. The stained glass museum contains more than 100 original panels dating from 1240 to the present. (Back-lit and at eye-level).

Address

Stained Glass Museum / Ely Cathedral
South Triforium
Ely CB7 4DL
United Kingdom

http://www.elycathedral.org

Hours

May 1 to September 30

Open	7:00	7:00	7:00	7:00	7:00	7:00	7:00
Closed	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00	19:00

October 1 to March 31

Open	7:30	7:30	7:30	7:30	7:30	7:30	7:30
Closed	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	17:00