Please note date. This information might become out-of-date.
We started from Ely railway station, and headed for the river. Crossing the main road, we saw this bridge under the railway, which is notorious in the local media. It is a VERY low bridge...
Walking round Standens, we arrive at the river by Cutter Inn, and walk along the river. Here are some artworks.
Ely Maltings (arts venue)
After the Maltings, we turned left, uphill, towards the cathedral, along Waterside, then Fore Hill. There are some attractive houses along here. And a yarn-bombed post box.
Then we arrived in the High Street, which runs alongside the cathedral. there are various gates and other old buildings in it.
We carried up St Mary's Street to visit the Tourist Information centre. This is in Oliver Cromwell's House. It's an attractive timbered house, but covered in scaffolding so I didn't take a picture. Here is a smaller, similar, house nearby.
In front of the cathedral is a Crimean War canon, given to Ely by Queen Victoria who she was having a de-clutter.
Nearby is the Bishop's Palace. This is the old Bishop's Palace, not to be confused with the current residence of the Bishop.
This house on Palace Green is around 1700.
I'm going to put all external pictures of the cathedral together. Here is the tower from Palace Green. This is where you enter. No, it's not falling down... I like the turret to one side.
The Octagon from outside (north):
The Octagon from outside (east):
View from the south, with gargoyles, and a range of window styles on the south transept (left).
Rather a fine sundial.
Walking round the cathedral for a second time (as far as one can go) to get to the Firmary, which we'd left out. The sun was out this time!
View from the Firmary.
This is the inside of the Octagon, the famous "thing that isn't a tower" on Ely Cathdral. The second picture shows the nave across the area under the Octagon.
This is the Mary Chapel, the largest of its kind in England. Most of the stained glass was smashed by OLiver Cromwell's supporters, and the figures defaced. Despite this, it is a very attractive space.
One of the transepts.
The floor - probably Victorian, but interesting.
Windows. Round arches are Norman, but I'm not sure of age of glass.
Misericords.
Prior's Door
This is a little odd. You go through a doorway (unlabelled) on the south side of the cathedral, fairly near the entrance. It looks as if it might be a chapel. But it isn't, although it's a small room. Turn round and see this wonderful doorway, with (from the brochure) "the famous Norman carvings dating from around 1135". I wonder how many people miss these famous carvings?
Heating!
This is the base of a Saxon cross from a nearby village. This makes it the oldest thing in the cathedral!
There was an exhibition of modern patchwork.
This is inside the museum up a spiral staircase (the Accessiblity guide says - Baically you can't!) and along the southern gallery of the cathedral nave - scarily high up. I looked firmly in the opposite direction. But the glass is worth it. You can get up close to the images and take photos (but no touching!) It starts with medieval glass going right up to modern glass.
If you go out of the cathedral door and turn right, walking round the cathedral on the grassy bit, eventually you reach the Almonary Kitchen, which does nice food. It is listed grade I and the listing says "The Almonry is a late Cl2 building of Carr Stone rubble with Barnack stone dressings. It is built above a vaulted undercroft of circa 1200, with ribs springing from central octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases."
There are various gardens round here. This is aview of the east end of the cathedral from the Almonary garden.
Returning to the cathedral precinct, on the left is the Mary Garden, with plants associated with the Virgin Mary.
The Physic garden, with labels showing what's there and how they were used. Fun to try and identify the plants! (Yes, I know rosemary...)
Wildflower bed. (Keith mutters that they spend most of their time conserving digging this stuff up, Golden Rod and so on.)
The Physic garden is on the left, and the Mary garden is on the right. Wildflower bed further to the right, out of shot. The Almonary is behind the wall.
After lunch at the Almonary Kitchen, we decided to carry on walking round the cathedral to get back to the front door, as we wanted to see some more inside. This was a mistake. You can't walk diesel (clockwise) all round the cathedral. You get as far as the south transept, then get shunted southwards onto Oyster Lane, through Wly Porta, and back along The Gallery. You do get back to the cathedral door, but it's a bit of a detour. However, there are attractive old buildings on this route.
Various buildings seen from the back in Oyster Lane. I'm pretty sure that they are listed grade I but not good on identification (we were trying to find a cathedral entrance at the time!) Maybe Prior House, and West Range.
Ely Porta, listed grade I, was begun in 1397.
This barn and storehouse of the Monastery was built in the late C14. Grade I listed.
Go through Ely Porta, then turn right up The Gallery. Again, I'm not sure of identification, but I'm guessing the current Bishop's house. Definitely grade I, though.
At last a cathedral!
Close to the outside of the South transept of the cathedral is this strange road called the Firmary. It used to be the hall of the Infirmary, but is now a road, so all those arches used to be inside the hall, and are now out in the open. All grade I, of course!
We returned to the railway station by walking down Oyster Lane, then turning left at Ely Porta (so not going through it). This took us down Cherry Hill. There's a castle mound here, but all overgrown, so I didn't take a photo. Then we crossed Broad Street and walked through Jubilee Gardens, which takes you to the river, by Cutter In. So return to the station the way we came.
This splendid eel was in Jubilee gardens. The name "Ely" is supposed to come from Island of Eels.
Here is a map of where we went - red for outgoing, blue for round the cathedral and monastic buildings, pink for home. We missed out the Firmery, so ended up going round the cathedral twice!
© Jo Edkins 2025