A VISIT TO ELY
MINI BREAK IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ENGLAND
WHY VISIT ELY?
Why would you want to pay a visit to Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England?
Well, why does anyone travel?
Work. A weekend away. Sightseeing. A day trip during a visit to Cambridgeshire. Perhaps you’ve hired a river barge and are passing along the River Great Ouse.
For me, a branch of my family descends from Cambridgeshire and Ely is home to the county archives, so I was on a family history quest.
That was all the excuse I needed for my visit to Ely. Although the fact that there are plenty of other things to see here was an added reason to make a holiday out of this trip.
WHERE TO STAY
Having decided on a visit to Ely, I checked out the hotel options online and found The Lamb.
This was reasonably priced, located in the centre of Ely, but walkable to the archives, with decent reviews and free parking.
You can book with the hotel direct, although I booked through Expedia. It was a simple and efficient booking process and I just paid on arrival.
My room
Despite being a solo traveller I booked a double room. That works for me as I like a bit of comfort.
In fact I was allocated what appeared to be a mini suite, with a small seating area and a king size bed.
It made me feel like one of those travellers you read about in 19th century fiction.
“I took rooms at The Lamb at Ely”
Actually the hotel began life as a 15th century coaching inn, so its quite possible someone really did say that once upon a time!
The room had the usual amenities. Dressing table, tea and coffee making, a TV and fan. The small wardrobe held an ironing board.
Meanwhile the bathroom was clean and had plenty of towels, though only basic toiletries were included.
Certainly comfortable enough for my two night stay.
Food
The Lamb is a pub, with a restaurant area, although the menu is the same in both.
On the first night I ate in the more lively pub area, where anyone could order and pay at the bar.
For the second night there were already a couple of parties booked in the restaurant, so food service was restricted to hotel guests and limited to the restaurant.
Fine for me. That said, on my wander around Ely I spotted a few other pubs and eating places that you could visit if you wanted variety.
I kept it simple and had a pie and chips one night, with lasagne and chips, followed by a delicious chocolate brownie, the next. The prices were reasonable.
Breakfast
Breakfast was available for an extra charge in the restaurant area and served from 7am until 10am.
I actually booked the full cooked breakfast, at an extra cost of £12 per night. As it happened it was delicious and well worth the money.
That also included your choice from the continental buffet selection, which included cereals, toast, pastries and fruit.
Recommendation
The Lamb was a decent price in a great location for my visit to Ely.
The room was very pleasant and the food good.
So I would definitely consider staying there again.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE ARCHIVES
A niche section of the blog here, because as I’ve mentioned the reason for my visit to Ely was to research my family history.
But lots of people descend from Cambridgeshire ancestors, so if you are one of them and are planning a genealogical visit to Ely, here are a few helpful tips.
I emailed ahead of my visit and found they are only open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9.30am to 5pm, with an extra day on the third Saturday of each month.
It is wise to book a seat. The day I went I booked in for the morning, but there was a private function in the afternoon, so I couldn’t have stayed longer had I wanted to. Worth knowing if you are making a long journey to go there.
The staff were very helpful and when I arrived the parish records I had mentioned I was looking for were set out on a desk ready for me.
If you like researching family, or local, history then there are a treasure trove of records on the shelves. You must pre-order to see documents from the archives themselves though.
There is Wi-Fi and plug sockets if you take your laptop too.
My visit involved researching my distant great grandparents, who happened to live about 7 miles from Ely, in the early to mid 1600s, around the time of the English Civil War.
It was a successful trip. Amongst other things I found my 9x great grandmother was born 400 years ago in 1623, and that she died in 1655.
What was life like in that period?
Well as it happens my visit to Ely was able to partly answer that question as I began an afternoon of sightseeing.
THINGS TO DO ON A VISIT TO ELY
OLIVER CROMWELL’S HOUSE
Ely is England’s second smallest city, which also makes it quite a walkable place to visit.
The Tourist Information Centre is located in a building with black beams and white walls, that apparently dates back in places to 1215.
It is also where Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland following the execution of King Charles I, lived prior to the tumultuous events of the English Civil war.
In fact he lived in this house from 1636 to 1646, at exactly the same time my ancestors were living just a few villages away from Ely. They must have seen this house.
Visitor Attraction
It cost me £6.50 to explore Oliver Cromwell’s House.
There are some rooms recreated to look as they would in his day.
Short films and information panels on the walls told the tales of life in this period. Quite useful for imagining my family living in that time.
A couple in period dress actually welcome you to the building.
Upstairs there is also a room with an exhibition on the history of the Civil War.
Its not a huge place to visit, but I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent there.
A nice start to my afternoon in Ely.
ELY CATHEDRAL
Walking out of Oliver Cromwell’s House and past St Mary’s Church next to it, you can see the tower of Ely Cathedral in the near distance.
That was where I was heading for my next tour of the day.
I paid £10 for a ticket to explore the cathedral on my own.
Guided tours were available and it is also possible to go up the towers, so do your research. The leaflet provided says these must be pre-booked online.
Last entry for tours was 3.30pm, although the cathedral is open later than that so you can still visit.
History of Ely Cathedral
This year Ely Cathedral is celebrating 1,350 years since it was founded by the Saxon Queen Etheldreda in 673 AD.
You read about her life in displays located in the cathedral.
The tour map you are given on entry shows the different periods of building, with the bulk of it built by the Normans in 1189.
However other parts have been added to and updated, from the 13th and 14th centuries right through to the 21st century. A living building indeed.
The central Octagon Tower, quite spectacular from both the outside and inside, was built in the 14th century after the original tower collapsed in 1322. It would seem that from disaster something even better was created.
Nowadays there are still daily church services.
In our modern times Ely Cathedral has also made TV and film appearances, including The King’s Speech and The Crown.
Exploring the Cathedral
Walking into the cathedral you start at the west tower.
My eyes however were almost immediately drawn to the the length of the nave, which is open and vast in a way Norman cathedrals often are.
Overhead is a wonderful painted ceiling that runs for its entire length.
I took photos with zoom on my camera to capture the details. But in the centre of the aisle is a table with magnifying mirrors that is a quirky way to get a better view of the ceiling above you.
Then walking under the decorated Octagon Tower I wandered into St George’s Chapel. This is the Cambridgeshire Regimental Chapel and lists the names of the men of Cambridgeshire who died in the first world war.
I had an unexpected family history moment as I recognised the names of some distant cousins listed on those boards.
Passing to the east end of the cathedral I passed through the choir, presbytery and St Etheldreda’s chapel.
Along the way admiring the architecture of the building and the great east window with its colourful stained glass.
The Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel stands almost like an extension to the main cathedral, although it has been there since the 14th century.
Almost all of its stained glass was lost after the dissolution of the monastery in 1541. Windows were smashed and the sculptures carved into its walls were defaced.
However now the plain glass windows fill this chapel with daylight on all sides. It is much brighter in here than the rest of the cathedral.
A walk in the Grounds
After exploring the full length of the cathedral on the inside I wandered down from west to east along the side of it.
A gate by the Lady Chapel allowed you round to see the east end of the Cathedral which is is quite splendid.
There are also small gardens to wander along, and another gate leads to an area with a restaurant, where you overlook the cathedral from this side.
THE RIVER GREAT OUSE
Once I had left the grounds of the cathedral it was late afternoon.
Signposts pointed in the direction of the riverside, a place I had looked at staying when booking my hotel.
So I had about a 10 minute walk before I found myself on the banks of the River Great Ouse.
A path that lined the bank was clearly popular with dog walkers, tourists and other passers by.
Watching the World go by in Ely
I found myself a seat on a pub terrace overlooking the river.
The sun was shining and I had nowhere else I had to be.
River boats and canal barges were moored along the banks.
I noticed some of them were available to hire. That’s an idea for another holiday!
Meanwhile ducks floated by, as did a paddle boarder with two dogs along for the ride.
A variety of trains passed over the river bridge in the distance, satisfying the train spotter in me.
Having a pint or two in the sunshine turned into a relaxing way to finish my short visit to Ely.
WORTH A VISIT?
Is Ely worth a visit?
Well I had a reason to go, but even so I had a splendid time.
In fairness you could probably see most of the big sights in less than a day, so it would work as a day trip if you are close by.
I spotted a few coach tours picking up on their way to Cambridge, which is another highlight in the area.
Two nights were definitely enough for me to do what I wanted.
But all in all I would say yes, a visit to Ely is well worth it.
YOUTUBE
If you have enjoyed reading about my trip to Ely, why not head over to the Gary Travels channel on YouTube and watch my GT explores Ely video, where you can see the places I visited too.
