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I left home at about 8am and after a 1 hour 25 minute drive, I arrive in Ely and park up at the Fishermans Car Park CB7 4AT where you can park for free. There are some restrictions though, if you park between 0800 and 0830 hours you can only park for 90 minutes. So aim to arrive after 0830 hours.
So I park up and start to walk along the River Great Ouse.
The River Great Ouse , the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in central England, the Great Ouse flows into East Anglia before entering the Wash, a bay of the North Sea. With a course of 143 miles (230 km), mostly flowing north and east, it is the one of the longest rivers in the United Kingdom. The Great Ouse has been historically important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows; its best-known tributary is the Cam, which runs through Cambridge. Its lower course passes through drained wetlands and fens and has been extensively modified, or channelised, to relieve flooding and provide a better route for barge traffic. Though the unmodified river probably changed course regularly after floods, it now enters the Wash after passing through the port of King's Lynn, south of its earliest-recorded route to the sea.
Ely is built on a 23-square-mile (60 km2) Kimmeridge Clay island which, at 85 feet (26 m), is the highest land in the Fens. Major rivers including the Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse feed into the Fens and, until draining commenced in the 17th century, formed freshwater marshes and meres within which peat was laid down. There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the city: a former Kimmeridge Clay quarry, and one of the United Kingdom's best remaining examples of medieval ridge and furrow agriculture.
The economy of the region is mainly agricultural. Before the Fens were drained, the harvesting of osier (willow) and sedge (rush) and the extraction of peat were important activities, as were eel fishing—from which the settlement's name may have been derived—and wildfowling. The city had been the centre of local pottery production for more than 700 years, including pottery known as Babylon ware. A Roman road, Akeman Street, passes through the city; the southern end is at Ermine Street near Wimpole and its northern end is at Brancaster. Little direct evidence of Roman occupation in Ely exists, although there are nearby Roman settlements such as those at Little Thetford and Stretham. A coach route, known to have existed in 1753 between Ely and Cambridge, was improved in 1769 as a turnpike (toll road). The present-day A10 closely follows this route; a southwestern bypass of the city was built in 1986. Ely railway station, built in 1845, is on the Fen Line and is now a railway hub, with lines north to King's Lynn, northwest to Peterborough, east to Norwich, southeast to Ipswich and south to Cambridge and London.
It was so quiet and peaceful here, hard to believe I was in a City.
I pass by the Peacocks Tearoom, closed at the time of passing, too early to stop anyways.
Ely gets its name from the old Northumbrian word ēlġē, meaning district of eels, when Ely was an island surrounded by marshland... and eels of course.
Eels were not only an important part of the local diet but used for barter by the Abbots of Ely who derived a lot of their wealth from the elongated fish.
Ely hosts its annual Eel Day each year in May.
It all started out in 2004, when a community parade took place featuring a giant eel-shaped puppet dubbed 'Ellie the Eel'.
It was organised by Babylon Arts, a local arts centre which held the event for local children.
Since then it has morphed into a weekend-long event, with a whole rostrum of slithery goings on and netting thousands of visitors each year.
Eels were not only an important part of the local diet but used for barter by the Abbots of Ely who derived a lot of their wealth from the elongated fish.
It was a joy to watch people milling about on the water. I spoke to one elderly lady on her barge. She was making her way around the country on her barge, what a way to spend retirement.
The second boathouse across the river belongs to the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge crew practice here each year before the famous Boat Race.
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| Sluice |
This striking steel sculpture transforms environmental data into art.
Monitors at the base of this brightly-lit sluice-gate sculpture display scenes and sounds of increasingly turbulent waters, depending on the current water levels in Eastern England’s precariously low lying Fens.
Since its inception in 2007, this permanent public art installation on the Isle of Ely has stood by a channel carrying the waters of the River Great Ouse across the reclaimed marshlands called “The Fens.” It’s a symbolic site for such a piece of art as, although the Isle of Ely is no longer a true island, it was once entirely surrounded by wetlands, which could swiftly return if water management of this low-lying river system were to be halted, or if sea levels were to rise above their current level.
Standing over nine feet tall, this stainless steel beacon mimics the shape of a sluice gate, a symbol of humanity’s management of flowing water. Created by artist Lulu Quinn, Sluice receives live data from the Denver Sluice Complex 17 miles away. This vital, centuries-old sluice gate complex protects 1,500 square miles of valuable farmland from inundation.
The sculpture responds to this live data stream by playing appropriately gentle or turbulent watery sounds every 15 minutes, altering the colours of its vibrant lights, and playing movies of serenely burbling or disconcertingly pounding waters depending on the height of the water level.
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| The Sluice at Night (picture taken from https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sluice) |
Just behind the Sluice is The Maltings, now a theatre.
The Maltings was built in 1868 as part of Ebenezer William Harlock’s brewery complex on Ely’s Waterside, where locally grown Barley was processed into Malt for brewing. The hall was originally three separately floors, where Barley was added to water, and then stored on the first and second floors, before being passed to the drying kiln, which is now home to the Stage. The Building passed through various ownerships, including the ‘Steward and Patteson (Ely) LTD’ company in 1961, who were later absorbed by Watney Mann (East Anglia) LTD. In 1971, the building was made available to the ‘City of Ely Urban District Council’ for a minimal cost, who converted it into the public hall. Original Stewart and Patteson pub signs for the Glazier’s Arms and The Montagu Arms still reside within the building. The building was operated by Leith’s (Compass Group) from 2009 until September 2014, when City of Ely Council obtained the lease from East Cambridgeshire District Council. The Restaurant area was separated from the rest of the building, and is now home to Ta Bouche. The Maltings building itself soon returned to operation as the venue you see today, and continues to grow its activities.
I continue along the river passing the Cutter Inn,I'll be back here later for a beer when it opens.
The pub's name is derived from the river diversion (or 'cut') that brought the Great Ouse nearer to Ely. It offers real ales and serves food throughout the week.
Now across the Ouse it opens up to beautiful countryside, I could follow this river all day but this is to be mainly a city walk to see Ely.
I reach the bridge at Station Road and walk up and along Station Road itself.
The route I take leads me back to The Cutter Inn so in Hindsight I could have cut that part out, oh well.
I walk up Jubilee Terrace and at the end is a former Hall House that's been converted into three properties. Lovely looking building.
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| The Three Blackbirds, Broad Street, Ely |
The Trust acquired the Three Blackbirds, a former Public House, in 1981 and the project was featured on local radio and TV the following year.
The centre two bays of the building were a former ‘hall house’ having an early roof with passing braces dated 1270. The rafters were smoke blackened from open fires.
Circa 1300 the building was extended 5 bays towards the river by a merchant. The original roof with carpenters marks is still in situ. An eighteenth century extension was built on fronting Broad Street when the building became a public house.
The project was completed in 1983 and a booklet on the archaeology and history of the building published.
I walk to my right up Broad Street and into the grounds behind the Cathedral.
Looking at my GPS, the route I had planned meant I should have turned left on Broad Street, so I doubled back and back on track.
As I walk up Broad Street I pass the Church of St Peter in Ely.
In the early 1880s, Catharine Maria Sparke, widow of Canon Edward Sparke (Canon of Ely Cathedral 1829-1878 and son of Bishop Sparke), was seeking to provide a suitable memorial to her late husband. A new church in the overcrowded riverside area of Ely was decided upon as a fitting tribute and generous endowments were provide for its future funding including provision for a Priest to serve it. The foundation stone was laid on St Peter's Day 1889 and the church was dedicated on Monday 30 June 1890.
At the end of Broad Street I turn right and up the hill on Back Hill until I reach a roundabout.
Here from the roundabout I have views to the Cathedral and across to The Kings School.
Ely Porta (porta is Latin for gate) was once the main entrance to Ely Monastery and through it passed travellers, pilgrims, royalty and local people selling their wares to the monastery. The gate was begun in 1396, completed in 1417 and the outside remains largely unchanged. Up to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries which ended in 1540, the building housed the Prior’s Prison. Note the two different sized gateways, one for vehicles and carts and the other for people on foot.
I walk through the Archway to Kings School before again realising this isn't the route I plotted so I walk back out.
King's Ely, which was renamed from The King's School in March 2012, is a coeducational independent day and boarding school in the cathedral city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. It was founded in 970 AD, making it one of the oldest schools in the world, though it was given its Royal Charter by King Henry VIII in 1541. The school consists of a nursery, a pre-preparatory school, a junior school, a senior school, a sixth form and an international school. King's Ely is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
The school has produced a number of notable alumni, including Edward the Confessor, King of England, Lord Browne of Madingley, erstwhile chairman of British Petroleum and James Bowman, countertenor.
The senior school was ranked the 162nd independent school for GCSE results and 210th for A Level results in 2014.
King's Ely has featured in the local news for its sports results, and has produced a fourth-place Olympic athlete, Goldie Sayers, who represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Olympics, coming fourth. Much of the senior school uses the historic monastic buildings of the cathedral, and major school events and weekly services are held there. One of the boys' boarding houses, School House, is claimed to be the oldest residential building in Europe. In its entirety, the school has over 1,000 pupils. The school has a small campus, with parts of the school in a number of buildings distributed around the centre of the city. However, all its sections make use of certain resources, such as sports facilities and the Monastic Barn.
I continue across the road down Silver Street passing Cambs Cottages(7,9 and 11 Silver Street), love these old buildings!
Number 7, 9 and 11 Silver Street
In the 80s and 90s a ghost was reported to haunt three cottages on Silver Street.
Once believed to be a single house, the three cottages claim to share the same ghost.
The spirit, nicknamed Adrian by one of the occupiers, has been heard crying upstairs and seen walking through the wall leading to house number nine.
Different parts of Ely are believed to be haunted by monks, sometimes accompanied by poltergeist activity.
Some people in the Twentieth Century have reported seeing mysterious footprints appear in the snow, and shadowy figures peering out of windows.
Spooky areas include Ely High Street, Firmary Lane and Ely Cathedral lawn.
At the end of Silver Street I turn right onto St Marys Street and pass Thomas Parsons Square.
Now a little further along I reach the Visitor Centre and Oliver Cromwell Attraction at 29 St Marys Street.
This was the family home of Oliver Cromwell. The kitchen dates from around 1215, other parts being built later. In 1988, it was bought by the local council, and has been refurbished to show how it may have looked during Cromwell's lifetime.
The house, which has eight period rooms, is promoted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England. In April 2018 ownership switched from East Cambridgeshire District Council to the City of Ely Council.
The house where Oliver Cromwell and his family lived from 1636-1647 is an attractive half-timbered building that once served as the vicarage for nearby St Mary's Church. The house was built in the 13th century, and portions of that first structure survive in the east wing of the current house.
The building served as a pub for several years - aptly named "The Cromwell's Arms", but it is now refurbished in Stuart style, and audio-visual displays provide insight into the career and times of Cromwell. Part of the exhibition is aimed at helping visitors to decide for themselves whether Cromwell was a hero or a villain.The house is now the only Cromwell residence to survive other than Hampton Court Palace in London. You enter into a parlour area, with dark pine panelling. One area of panelling hides a section of medieval wall painting, which can be viewed on request. From the parlour you pass into the kitchen, then upstairs to the Portrait Room, where you can see a portrait of Cromwell in the style of Sir of Peter Lely, the court painter to Charles I.
There is a Civil War exhibition which tells the story of how Cromwell rose to become a military leader during the Civil War, and eventually a political leader after Charles I's execution. Then there is the Haunted Bedroom, said to be haunted by ghosts. Appropriately enough, this area has an exhibition on Cromwell's death and its aftermath. After the Haunted Bedroom you descend once more, past a 13th century doorway, to the Tithe Office, which was Oliver Cromwell's office while he lived here. The Office features a large 15th century window,though the room itself dates 'only' to 1615.
The house is set up to provide opportunities for families to learn about Cromwell's life and times. Children can dress up in period costumes, enjoy playing with 17th century toys, and try their hands at medieval handwriting. There is also a children's trail around the house, with clues and riddles to solve. This is one historic house where visitors are encouraged to handle the things they see, to pick things up and examine them, which is quite refreshing to see.
Downstairs in Cromwell's House is the Ely Tourist Information Centre, who provide a Ghost Walk of Ely in addition to the usual leaflets and travel help.
English solider and statesman Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) was elected to Parliament in 1628 and 1640. The outspoken Puritan helped organise armed forces after the outbreak of civil war in 1642, serving as deputy commander of the “New Model Army” that decimated the main Royalist force at the 1645 Battle of Naseby.
Next to Cromwells Home is St Marys Church.
Bishop Eustace, who held the see from 1197 till 1215, is known to have rebuilt St, Mary's Church, which stands a few hundred yards to the west of the Cathedral...
The present church suffers from being so close to such an important building as the Cathedral; if it were the chief church of the town it would receive more attention from visitors and no doubt it would contain more monuments of interest. However, anyone who takes the trouble to examine the building will find it a good example of its period.
Oliver Cromwell's youngest daughter was baptised here.
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| View down to the Cathedral |
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| Oliver Cromwells House |
Across the road is the Old Fire Engine House.
The Old Fire Engine House is a restaurant and art gallery situated just west of the cathedral in an attractive Georgian house with a large walled garden stocked with many old English fruit trees, herbs and flowers.
It was built in the mid 18th Century on the site of a farmhouse which was the home of Dean Tyndell's widow in 1616. Ely's horse-drawn fire engine was kept there at the turn of the century, which can now be seen in a photograph above the fire in the bar.
Ann Jarman set up the restaurant in 1968 with two friends and continues to run it with her husband Michael. Their aim was to use local, seasonal ingredients and recipes; a concept which is commonplace now, but was relatively unusual fifty years ago.
The restaurant has maintained the feeling of a family home rather than that of a commercial business which is reflected in its work ethos. Four generations of the Fyson family have worked there as cooks; Olive Fyson started with us in 1968 and worked in the kitchen for 30 years. Her daughters Terri, Christine and Jayne all still work with us as does her granddaughter Claire and both Jarman daughters also worked at the Old Fire Engine House until recently.
Along further down St Marys Street is the old Dispensary, now a Quakers Meeting place.
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| View down The High Street |
I walk down Minster Place and up to the Cathedral that has dominated the view from all around the city.
The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The present building dates back to 1083, and cathedral status was granted it in 1109. Until the Reformation it was the Church of St Etheldreda and St Peter, at which point it was refounded as the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, continuing as the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire. It is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. Architecturally it is outstanding both for its scale and stylistic details. Having been built in a monumental Romanesque style, the galilee porch, lady chapel and choir were rebuilt in an exuberant Decorated Gothic. Its most notable feature is the central octagonal tower, with lantern above, which provides a unique internal space and, along with the West Tower, dominates the surrounding landscape. Ely Cathedral is a major tourist destination, receiving around 250,000 visitors per year, and sustains a daily pattern of morning and evening services.
Ely Abbey was founded in 672, by Æthelthryth (St Etheldreda), daughter of the East Anglian King Anna. It was a mixed community of men and women. Later accounts suggest her three successor abbesses were also members of the East Anglian Royal family. In later centuries the depredations of Viking raids may have resulted in its destruction, or at least the loss of all records. It is possible that some monks provided a continuity through to its refoundation in 970, under a Benedictine rule.The precise siting of Æthelthryth's original monastery is not known. The presence of her relics, bolstered by the growing body of literature on her life and miracles, was a major driving force in the success of the refounded abbey. The church building of 970 was within or near the nave of the present building, and was progressively demolished from 1102 alongside the construction of the Norman church. Ermenilda of Ely was an Abbess here, as well, after her husband Wulfhere of Mercia died in 675.
The cathedral is built from stone quarried from Barnack in Northamptonshire (bought from Peterborough Abbey, whose lands included the quarries, for 8000 eels a year), with decorative elements carved from Purbeck Marble and local clunch. The plan of the building is cruciform (cross-shaped), with an additional transept at the western end. The total length is 537 feet (164 m), and the nave at over 75 m (246 ft) long remains one of the longest in Britain. The west tower is 66 m (217 ft) high. The unique Octagon 'Lantern Tower' is 23 m (75 ft) wide and is 52 m (171 ft) high. Internally, from the floor to the central roof boss the lantern is 43 m (141 ft) high. It is known locally as "the ship of the Fens", because of its prominent position above the surrounding flat landscape.
I enter the Cathedral, there is a £9 charge to go further in, being skint at the moment I decide not to enter.
The stairs leading up the tower take you up to the Stained Glass Museum.
I walk in and have a look around the shop, but there is a £4.50 charge to enter the museum. Not that I'd find it particularly interesting I decline the offer.
I leave the cathedral and walk down The gallery passing The Bishops House.
Bishop’s Palace dating from the 15th century. Its gardens feature the oldest plane tree in England planted by a Bishop Gunning over 300 years ago. Opposite the Palace is a privately owned home known as the Chantry named after the Chantry Chapel that once stood on this site, built by Bishop Northwold in the 13th Century. This chapel was used for saying or singing a paid-for mass for a specific reason or person.
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| The Bishops House |
I am now back at the roundabout and I walk through the arch again to Kings School and up the path to the rear of the Cathedral and its grounds.
I just love Gargoyles! Ely Cathedral has as many gargoyles as I have seen on any building. They vary greatly in age and new ones are still added from time to time.
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between.
Now I walk out through a arch to High Street.
I almost immediately come to the Almondry Restaurant and tearooms.
The Almonry restaurant is a truly unique location nestled amongst the medieval precinct of Ely Cathedral in the centre of the beautiful riverside city of Ely. The main restaurant is located in the 13th century Undercroft and has recently been refurbished creating a stunning yet informal space for lunches and private hire. The Almonry Tea Room overlooks the gardens and is the perfect setting for morning coffee with a piece of homemade cake - the date and walnut is legendary - or an Almonry Cream Tea with freshly baked scones and locally produced jam. The gardens are extensive and overlook the magnificent east end of the Cathedral with tables, chairs and parasols for alfresco dining during the summer months.
I walk in and take a look around the gardens.
Now back through the arch and pass the Ely War Memorial.
Across the road is the Ely Market Square, no market here today though.
Markets have always played an important part in the life of Ely. Today, the town’s Market Square hosts markets every Thursday and Saturday, rotating between general markets, crafts and collectables and farmers markets. Continental markets and other special events are a regular feature too.
I walk down Fore Hill , onto Lisle Lane and stop in Sainsburys for a mug of tea and a cooked breakfast before walking on further to the Ely Country Park.
A fantastic place to enjoy and explore the great outdoors. To help you get the most out of your visit, special way markers have been placed around the Country Park marking out two trails which will help you to discover some spectacular views and wildlife of international importance. The walks called Kingfisher (long trail) and Bulrush (short trail) highlight the best of the natural fen landscape including the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) where you can test your bird spotting skills.
I pass by the Roswell Pits and stop to collect a couple of Geocaches.
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| Some Mallards and Tufted ducks. |
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| View back to Cathedral across the Roswell Pits |
The pits were a source of gault, an impervious clay used to maintain river banks in the low-lying regions of the South Level of the Fens. Following the re-routing of the rivers in the region by Cornelius Vermuyden and his Adventurers in the 1650s, to more effectively drain the Fens, the peaty soils began to dry out and shrink. As the land surface sunk below the levels of the rivers, it became important to maintain the banks with something impervious to water, to prevent seepage into the newly drained agricultural land, and to prevent collapse of the banks and flooding of the land in times of heavy rainfall. Roswell Pits were an ideal source of this material, as they were located adjacent to the River Great Ouse, and boats could take the bulky material directly to the banks being maintained.
The men who carried the gault away were called "gaulters", and typically worked in gangs of three. The gang was managed by a Head Ganger, and a team of three men worked a train of five boats, each around 36 by 8.5 feet (11.0 by 2.6 m), and capable of holding 8 tons of gault (Kimmeridge) clay. Teams employed by the Burnt Fen Drainage District were provided with the boats, but had to supply a horse for towing the boats, and shovels and barrows for loading and unloading the gault. In 1810, Robert Fletcher and Co were paid £7/3/6 (£7.17) for 246 tons of gault delivered to the Burnt Fen District, a rate of 7 pence (3p) per ton. In 1886, the terms of the men were re-negotiated, because the Commissioners felt that the wages received were excessive. They calculated that each man would receive £1/12/6 (£1.62) per week if the team completed five round trips as expected. Gaulters ceased to be employed by the Burnt Fen District after 1920, when responsibility for the river banks passed to the newly formed Ouse Drainage Board.
The pits continued to supply clay, with a new pit being started in 1947. Since extraction stopped, they have become a wetland wildlife habitat. They have also been used by Ely Sailing Club since 1946, when the club was founded. The main yachting area covers around 40 acres (16 ha), and is used for both cruising and racing. The club is recognised by the Royal Yachting Association as a training centre, and can therefore offer training to those interested in learning the skills of yachting.
The pits were the subject of controversy in 2006 when the larger lake was sold to a new owner. A local group, Ely Wildspace accused the owner of having the intention of providing moorings for boats using the River Great Ouse. The lakes were by then home to a wide range of wildlife, and the two functions were seen as conflicting. The owner responded with their intention to create a wildlife reserve. Parts of the area were declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest in June 2008, in recognition of their geology and wetland habitat, and in the absence of a planning application by the owner, an enforcement notice was issued by East Cambridgeshire District Council, preventing further work being carried out. An appeal against the notice was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate on 14 November 2008, with the outcome that sections where work has been carried out will have to be returned to their previous state. In April 2009, the SSSI was extended to cover an area of 210 acres (85 ha), including nearly all of the former pits.
I cross the railway line and pass another pit and a industrial unit before taking a path that will lead me back to The Ouse.
Now following The Ouse, once more. It is so peaceful here by the river with no-one other the cows for company.
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| A couple of rabbits |
I am now back at the car park, I dump my backpack and boots and walk off back down the river to grab my pint of beer at The Cutter Inn.
I enjoy my pint of Woodfordes Wherry at The Cutter Inn, whilst watching people on the river.
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| One of many Jackdaws. |
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| Babylon Arts |
The Babylon Gallery brings high quality arts to the people of Ely. The converted riverside warehouse hosts a varied annual programme including exhibitions of works from local and regional artists alongside national touring exhibitions.
I am now back after a 6 mile walk, what a glorious city Ely is!
