Ely Cathedral

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 occupied by Oliver Cromwell and his family from 1636-1647.

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 is due to the elaborate articulation of the 12 bays, and also perhaps to the painted ceiling, a 19th century addition. The Octagon (radius 82ft/25m) supported by 16 oak trunks, the only structure of its kind in England, is as impressive from the inside as from the exterior. The Norman southwest transept serves as the baptistery. St Edmund's Chapel contains a wall painting from about 1200 and a beautiful 15th century screen, both restored. The choir has three elegant Decorated bays at the west end. The 59 misericords of the choir stalls (1342) have mostly been renewed. Behind the choir is the chapel (1486-1500) built by Bishop Alcock, patron of Porterhouse and founder of Jesus College, Cambridge. The Lady Chapel, an admirable example of the Decorated style, contains sculptured scenes from the life of the Virgin, with hundreds of now headless statuettes. In the north gallery is a museum of stained glass.

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).