Cambridge to Ely🚆: 23rd July 2000

Visit to Ely Cathedral 24 km away - free day on conference programme.
Took the 11.03 am train operated by West Anglia Great Northern, 4-car Class 365 Networker Express no.365527 running on overhead lines at speeds of 100 mph calling at Waterbeach.
As you approach Ely, the cathedral rises up on the left above the landscape which must have been even more dominant during the medieval period. A short walk from the station takes you to the centre of the town, past Oliver Cromwell’s House on St Mary’s Street, across to "Palace Green” grounds providing a magnificent view of the 215 feet tall West tower dating from the 12th century.
The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The present building dates back to 1083, until the Reformation it was the Church of St Etheldreda and St Peter, after which point it was refounded as the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely.
In the grounds of “Palace Green” is a Russian cannon captured at the port of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula by the British forces during the Crimean war (1853-1856) and was presented to Ely in 1860 by Queen Victoria to Ely Volunteer Rifle Corps in recognition of their successful formation.
The walls of Old Bishop’s Palace dating from 1486 can be seen to the right . In 1941, it was used as a base by the British Red Cross and in 2013 opened as King’s Ely public school. The Benedictine monastery was closed in 1539, but many of the buildings survived and are still in use today.
Upon entering the cathedral through the Great West Door into the Galilee Porch, with over 1300 years of history to explore, it can be hard to know where to start. The splendid Norman nave, the country’s third longest measuring 75 metres with its unique 19th century ceiling takes you down the centre aisle toward the High Altar. There are several chapels and ornate crypts to take your breath away. Having been built in Romanesque style, the Lady Chapel and the Choir were rebuilt in an exuberant Gothic.
The next impressive feature is the Octagon, 74 feet wide and 142 feet high, suspended in the Octagonal Tower over the centre of the Cathedral. It allows in light through tall, stained glass windows below which are painted wooden panels with Victorian angels, one of the wonders of the medieval world. Weighing 400 tons, it was built to replace the Norman central tower that collapsed in 1322 and took 18 years to build. At the very top of the Octagon is a magnificent lantern.
Once the Octagon was completed in 1342, attention was turned back to the Lady Chapel (dedicated to the Virgin Mary) which had been put on hold. The rectangular structure built in 1321, the largest of its kind in the UK with intricate carvings and an elaborate vaulted roof, took 28 years to complete in 1349. The destruction of the Reformation is visible in the beheaded and defaced carvings, but nevertheless the chapel provides a beautiful space and amazing acoustic.
The Choir and Presbytery were extended in the 13th century and lavishly restored in the19th century. Take time to view the medieval misericords, the ceiling bosses, and around the aisle, carved memorials and tombs.
A steep climb of 288 spiral stairs to the top of the West Tower provides the most breathtaking views across the city and landscape.
Outside, explore the lovely grounds leading to the 14th century Almonry Restaurant with spectacular views of the Cathedral from its gardens.
On my way back to the station, I strolled past Oliver Cromwell’s House and took the 13.58 pm train back to Cambridge.