please empty your brain below
I understand your misgivings about paying to enter the cathedral, but it's worth it. The views from the towers are spectacular, as you can imagine, and the tour around the inner workings of the lantern is fascinating.

Jonathan Wadman | 22.10.12 - 9:07 a.m. | #

I should have thought that there were still plenty of eels in the rivers, drains and levels around Ely.

David | 22.10.12 - 10:12 a.m. | #

I grew up around those parts, and one of my friends' relatives has a gargoyle of themselves on that Cathedral. Or so I was told.

Jamina | Homepage | 22.10.12 - 12:50 p.m. | #

I've lived in Ely for 6 years now and love it. You missed a treat with not viewing the cathedral and octagon from inside on 'free Sunday'. It's spectacular and the tour which is available takes you to see the inner workings which is fascinating. The panels open revealing the cathedral interior far below, beautiful and fantastic. It costs more than £3000 per day to maintain the cathedral, I believe.

I think there is only one eel catcher left and very few eels to what there was a couple of centuries ago.

Sounds like you had a good couple of days with the annual apple festival as well :)

Holly K | 22.10.12 - 1:33 p.m. | #

I went to Ely a year ago for a short break in the Fens. It is a very nice place to visit, and the cathedral is well worth the entry fee.

I am not religious - at all - but the sight and feeling of sunlight filtering in through the octagon's stained glass did inspire a sort of spiritual calm in me, and gave me a small insight into why these impressive structures were built in the first place - this was possibly the only 'beautiful' thing that normal people in the middle ages would ever see...

ChrisMitch | 22.10.12 - 7:57 p.m. | #

You didn't mention the maze which forms the entrance way to the Cathedral. It is so large that you possibly did not realise what it is. The kids can have a run round it (free) before you get to the pay counter.

I wonder why they needed a maze in a cathedral?

Temp | 23.10.12 - 11:25 a.m. | #

The maze is a labyrinth, which means it only has one path so you can't get lost. Medieval labyrinths can be found in several of the great Gothic cathedrals of France, although Ely's is a Victorian 'imitation'. Walking the labyrinth may have been a form of prayer, or a mini-pilgrimage, but I'm not sure if anyone knows their original purpose or symbolism.

Colin | 23.10.12 - 1:10 p.m. | #

As usual, you visit a place and write the lively, interesting account I'd liked to have read before we went there last year. http://bit.ly/T9km2C

And with a whole team of DG readers adding to the picture. So now we'll make doubly sure to visit again!

Alan Stanton | Homepage | 23.10.12 - 11:59 p.m. | #

I've lived in Ely for eleven years now (I'm from Durham originally; perhaps I'm attracted to small cathedral cities?). In one day you've covered all the attractions that I've not got round to visiting in over a decade!

It's an interesting mix of a city. When I first arrived, nearly every shop was a small independent. There was a very curious branch of Tescos on the market square - one of the very first Tescos in the UK, I was told - and a nice old Woolworths on the hill. The former moved out-of-town and the latter took it over. And now of course, Woolies itself has gone - replaced by a discount clothing shop (and a poundstore on its original site).

Until comparatively recently, most shops were shut on Sunday. The chains lead the way : Boots, WHSmiths. Now some of the surviving independents and even a few charity shops have started. Recently plans have been submitted for an out-of-town retail park: there's a great divide on this locally, but I'd point out that some of the smaller shops need to open on Sunday if they want to survive. The population of Ely has grown from ~12000 to ~16000 while I've been there, and most of those people (like myself) are out of the small city every weekday.

Oh, and the rail connections are superb! Five different directions, and fast services to two London stations. Great stuff.

Thanks for the write up. Do come again! :-)

Sam Holloway | Homepage | 24.10.12 - 4:49 p.m. | #

The first self-service Tesco - in St Albans - closed relatively recently, and moved down the road to the premises formerly occupied by Woolworths. The old site is now a pound shop.

Andrew | 26.10.12 - 9:50 a.m. | #











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