The Ship of the Fens rises out of the flat Cambridgeshire land for miles around: Ely is a tiny city with one of England’s greatest cathedrals.
Ely is one of the smallest cities in England, more like a market town than a city in size. For centuries it stood on an island in the middle of the Fens, a vast area of marshland that was only drained in the seventeenth century. Its name is often said to come from the eels that were once caught in the surrounding waters, and eels were even used to pay rents.
Hereward the Wake made his last stand against the Normans here, and Oliver Cromwell lived in the city for ten years. But above all Ely is its cathedral, one of the most beautiful buildings in England. This guide covers six things to see and do, and how to get there.
1. Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is one of the great cathedrals of Europe. A monastery was founded here in 673 by St Etheldreda, a Saxon princess, and the present building was begun by the Normans in 1083. It is known as the Ship of the Fens, because it rises above the flat landscape and can be seen for miles, like a great ship on the sea.
The cathedral’s most famous feature is the Octagon. In 1322, the central tower collapsed, and instead of rebuilding it, the monks built a unique eight sided lantern of wood and stone, which floods the centre of the building with light. It is one of the great achievements of medieval engineering.
The long Norman nave has a painted wooden ceiling, and the Lady Chapel, the largest attached to any cathedral in Britain, is a huge, light space, once richly decorated before much of its carving was damaged during the Reformation. Look out for the headless statues around its walls.
Guided tours take you up into the Octagon, where you can look down into the cathedral from a great height, and up the West Tower for views across the Fens. The cathedral has appeared in films and television series. There is a charge for entry, except for services.
2. The Stained Glass Museum
The Stained Glass Museum, inside the cathedral’s triforium, a gallery high above the nave, is the only museum in Britain dedicated to stained glass. It has a national collection of more than a thousand panels, from the Middle Ages to the present day. It is reached by a spiral staircase.
The panels are displayed at eye level, lit from behind, so you can see their details closely in a way that is impossible when they are high up in a church window. The collection shows how stained glass has been made and used over eight hundred years. It includes work by some of the most famous artists in the field.
The museum explains how stained glass is made, from mixing the glass to painting and firing it. There are displays on the techniques and the craftspeople behind them. It is a fascinating and colourful place.
The museum is a small, peaceful gem, easily seen in an hour. There is a separate charge for entry, or a combined ticket with the cathedral. It holds workshops where you can try making stained glass yourself.
3. Oliver Cromwell’s House
Oliver Cromwell lived in this timber framed house near the cathedral with his family from 1636 until the late 1640s, when he worked as a tax collector for the church. At the time, he was a local farmer and landowner. Within a few years he would lead Parliament’s armies in the Civil War and rule the country as Lord Protector.
The house has been restored to show how the family lived in the seventeenth century, with period furniture, a kitchen and displays about Cromwell’s life. You can learn about the Civil War and his controversial rule. The house also holds the tourist information centre.
Children enjoy dressing up in Civil War costumes and learning about life at the time. Some rooms are said to be haunted. It is a small, interesting visit of about an hour.
Nearby, Ely Museum, in the old gaol, tells the story of the Fens and the Isle of Ely, including the draining of the marshes and the story of Hereward the Wake. It is a good place to learn about the unusual landscape around the city.
4. The riverside
Ely’s riverside, on the River Great Ouse, is a lovely place for a stroll. It is lined with old warehouses, now converted into shops, galleries and cafés. There are pubs and tea rooms with outdoor seating by the water.
You can hire a boat or take a river trip, and in summer the river is busy with narrowboats and cruisers. The river path leads out into the countryside in both directions. It is a peaceful place away from the city centre.
The Maltings, a former malt house, is now an arts centre and cinema. Nearby, the riverside has antiques shops, where you can spend hours browsing. Jubilee Gardens, beside the river, are lovely in summer.
Ely’s market is held in the Market Place several days a week, with food, crafts and local produce. The city holds an eel festival in spring, with a parade and events celebrating its links with eels. The walk from the cathedral down to the river takes about ten minutes.
5. Wicken Fen
Wicken Fen, about nine miles south of Ely, is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and the oldest nature reserve looked after by the National Trust. It was bought in 1899 to protect its rare plants and insects. It gives a glimpse of what the Fens looked like before they were drained.
The reserve is home to thousands of species, including rare insects, birds and plants. Konik ponies and Highland cattle graze the land, helping to keep it open. In summer, dragonflies and butterflies are everywhere.
Boardwalks and paths lead through reed beds and meadows, with bird hides along the way. A traditional wind pump, used to drain the land, still stands on the site. Boat trips run on the waterways in summer.
There is a visitor centre and a café. Wicken Fen is especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset, when the birds are most active. A car or a driver is the easiest way to get there from Ely.
6. Cambridge and the Fens
Ely makes a quiet and charming base for exploring Cambridge, which is only about fifteen minutes away by train. You can spend a day punting, visiting the colleges and museums, and return to the peace of Ely in the evening. The two cities make a lovely pair.
The Fens themselves have a strange, flat beauty, with huge skies, long straight roads and drainage channels. Villages such as Prickwillow have museums about the draining of the land. The landscape is best appreciated slowly.
Welney Wetland Centre, north west of Ely, is famous for the thousands of wild swans that spend the winter there. Floodlit swan feeds on winter evenings are a wonderful sight. It is a great place for birdwatchers.
The flat land is perfect for cycling, and there are cycle routes between Ely, Cambridge and the villages. A driver by the hour lets you explore the Fens and their villages without worrying about directions.
Getting there and getting around
Ely station is a short walk from the city centre and the river. Trains to Cambridge take around fifteen minutes, and there are direct trains to London King’s Cross in just over an hour, and to Norwich, Peterborough and King’s Lynn.
Stansted Airport is about forty five miles south, around an hour by road. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Ely and the airport, and to reach Wicken Fen and the Fens.
Ride with ZeroLanes. From your door, the station or the airport to anywhere in Ely, at a price fixed before you confirm. Travelling between cities? Get a fixed price for the journey, or keep a car and driver for the day with hourly hire.