Ely

Ely is a cathedral city located within Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north- east from the city of Cambridge. The city itself still retains much of its original charm and the historic buildings.

The city is situated on the River Great Ouse, which is a popular boating area with a large marina and the University of Cambridge rowing team are known to train on the lake for their annual race against the University of Oxford. The cathedral located within the city is known as The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity or alternatively and fondly as the Ship of the Fens, a name inspired by the distant views of its towers, which dominate the horizon view of the wetlands known as The Fens.

Ely has a number of great transport links, including trains linking the city with Cambridge and London, as well as access to the majority of East Anglia and The Midlands.

Ely Cathedral, The College, Ely, Cambs CB7 4DL (01353) 667735
Established in 1109, Ely is perhaps one of the most magnificent cathedrals in the country.

Visited by around quarter of a million visitors each year, the cathedral is known as the ‘Ship of the Fens’ for its domination of the low-lying countryside. Restored during the new millennium, the cathedral houses ‘Under the Octagon at Ely Cathedral’; a watercolour painting specially commissioned to raise funds.

Oliver Cromwell’s House, St Mary’s Street, Ely, Cambs CB7 4HF (01353) 662062
Oliver Cromwell was ‘King in all but name’. The trouble was he went and banned Christmas. As Lord Protector of England, he was (and still is) a divisive character.
Cromwell lived in Ely for ten years and the house in St Mary’s Street has been recreated to show how his family would have lived in the 17th Century.