In late September 2024, I visited Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, in the south-east of England. In this article, I’ll share some of the most interesting aspects and some of my photos from the trip so you can virtually join me in this beautiful place. This trip also partially inspired my short story, Seahenge.
Ely Cathedral dates back to 673 AD when St. Etheldreda, an Anglo-Saxon queen and abbess, founded a double monastery for both monks and nuns on the site. The cathedral was originally built to house her relics and her shrine was a significant pilgrimage site in medieval times.
The current cathedral was begun in 1083. The nave is Norman, while the choir and Lady Chapel are Gothic.
Once you walk through the door, you can buy a ticket to visit the cathedral in a small office on the left. I took the next photo looking up from just outside the ticket office. The Way of Life sculpture is by Jonathan Clarke and made of aluminium. A nearby plaque notes “It depicts the unexpected twists and turns as we journey through life on the way of the cross.”
It also reflects the Victorian labyrinth on the stone floor beneath seen below looking into the nave.
Ely Cathedral’s nave stretches for 248 feet (75 meters), making it one of the longest in the country. It has Romanesque columns and is painted with panels depicting creation through history to the last judgement.
The name Ely is thought to derive from the Old English word ēlīg, meaning ‘island of eels.’ Ely was once an island surrounded by the Fens marshland and eels were abundant in the region, forming an important part of the local economy and diet during medieval times.
The cathedral’s location on a raised island in the flat, surrounding Fenland made it visible for miles around, earning it the nickname The Ship of the Fens.
While the Fens were drained in the 17th century through an extensive system of drainage channels and dykes, they remain vulnerable to climate change. Perhaps Ely will be an island again in the future.
One of the most iconic features is the Octagon Tower, built after the original Norman central tower collapsed in 1322. The picture below is walking from the Nave to the Octagon.
Always look up in these incredible cathedrals!
At the heart of the octagon is a wooden lantern, a unique feature for a medieval cathedral which allows light to flood into the space below. This structure gives the impression of height and openness, illuminating the interior of the cathedral.
The octagon is decorated with a series of painted wooden panels, representing various religious figures and scenes including angels, the evangelists, and Christ in Majesty.
Walk through from the octagon to the choir and look on to the altar.
Ely Cathedral houses a magnificent Harrison & Harrison organ, originally built in 1908 and rebuilt in 1975 with over 4,000 pipes.
The light was beautiful in the choir and I liked this image of an angel on the end of the choir stall.
St. Etheldreda (also known as St. Audrey) is the patron saint of chastity, healing, and widows. She was canonised after her death in 679 AD. Her shrine is marked only by a stone and four candles as the original magnificent shrine was destroyed as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 under King Henry VIII.
In front of the shrine is the High Altar, behind which is a marble reredos with Victorian carvings of the events of Holy Week.
While I love the historical aspects of gothic cathedrals in particular, I also love to find out of place things that make me think differently about the space. I can definitely get caught up in the romance of the past, but these places are alive today and real people make up the living cathedral community.
As I walked away from the altar, I noticed this sculpture of a man in a niche. It’s by sculptor Sean Henry who had an exhibition ‘Am I My Brother’s Keeper?’ within the cathedral earlier in the month.
The Lady Chapel, built between 1321 and 1349, is one of the largest in England, famous for its beautiful stone carvings, though many were damaged during the Reformation and the English Civil War when Puritan iconoclasts destroyed much of the medieval stained glass and statuary.
The contemporary statue of Mary is by sculptor David Wynne (2000).
Back in the main cathedral, there are a number of chapels behind the altar. This is St Etheldreda’s Chapel.
There are some particularly beautiful fan vaulted ceilings in the chapels.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual tour of Ely Cathedral, and perhaps you might include it on a visit sometime.
Getting there
It’s an easy train journey from London Kings Cross to Ely with regular services on northern bound trains heading to Cambridge and onwards. You can find times and tickets on TheTrainline app and also on Uber.
From Ely train station it’s less than fifteen minutes walk to the cathedral and you can see it all within an hour or so. You can then walk back through the small town for lunch and head to the station. It can be done on a day trip from London or a side trip from Cambridge or Peterborough. You don’t need a car unless you plan to venture into the Fens.
Books about Ely or set in the area
Ely Cathedral has been used as a filming location for several major films and TV series, including The Other Boleyn Girl, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The King’s Speech, and The Crown. Here are some books set in and around the area.
- The Dean’s Watch — Elizabeth Goudge. When cathedral dean Adam Ayscough encounters clockmaker Isaac Peabody, their unlikely friendship touches the lives of the entire community.
- The Water Clock — Jim Kelly. In the desolate and remote beauty of the Cambridgeshire Fens, the past is never truly buried — and neither are its secrets. A body is found in a sunken car. Another is found high up on Ely Cathedral. A killer stalks the Fens.
- Waterland — Graham Swift. “A vision of England seen through its mysterious, amphibious Fen country; a sinuous meditation on the workings of time; a tale of two families, startling in its twists and turns and universal in its reach.”
- Murder in the Fens — Clare Chase. When the body of twenty-year-old Julie Cooper is found – her pockets stuffed full of wilting flowers – in an iron-age hill fort on the edge of the fens, Detective Tara Thorpe and her team are called in to investigate. The evidence points to an illicit affair gone wrong… but is there more to the story? An English cozy mystery.
- The Ely Testament — Philip Gooden. 1875. When Mr Lye, an elderly partner at Tom Ansell’s law firm, dies at his desk, Tom is dispatched to Ely to search for Mr Lye’s missing will at Phoenix House near Ely, the home of his brother, Ernest, and becomes embroiled in a mystery.
This trip to Ely also partially inspired my short story, Seahenge, available on my store, and also on the usual platforms. 
What was drowned will be drowned again…
Marine archaeologist Dr. Evelyn Price has spent her life uncovering the mysteries of the deep ocean. But when a violent storm uncovers an ancient timber circle off the coast of England, she faces a discovery that will challenge everything she knows.
As the tide rises and storm clouds gather, Evelyn and her team race against time to decipher the strange symbols on the wooden pillars, before the sea comes to claim its own once more.
Seahenge is a gripping archaeological short story that blends cutting-edge science with ancient myth. It will leave you questioning what really lies beneath the waves…
Oh, my dear God! How can something like this be build by humans? Without all the technical help of today. Incredibly beautiful. Wonderful photography, thank you so very much for posting it. I looked at these pictures twice, trying to remember where I have seen another church that I can’t get out of my mind. It couldn’t have been this one, even if elements remind me of it, but it was not this large. I wish I could travel there – but too late in my life.
Glad you enjoyed the virtual tour, Giselle!
Wonderful photographs, Jo! Inspiring a visit. I trained as a photographer many years ago and have been thinking of returning to the craft now i am retired. What cameras/device di doyu use to capture these great images?
Hi Helen, Thanks so much — and I just use my iPhone and then just normal Apple Photos edit function with the automatic enhancing/AI. Really just one click, but as you know, it’s the curation of the many many photos that are important!