Ely Cathedral Tours and other Ely, United Kingdom Things to Do Tips

There are three separate tours of Ely Cathedral, plus the optional Stained Glass Museum.
The nave tour is free and the two tower tours have fees. If you can only choose to do one tower tour, then the Octagon is a better choice. The Octagon tour takes you up past the stained glass windows to the Lantern Tower and atop the roof. There are 165 steps to the top of the Octagon Tour, and the West Tower has over 200 steps.
From April to October the tower tours are daily and then from November to March are reduced to weekends. Tours are cancelled during rainy weather. It's a good idea to check the Cathedral tour schedule as soon as possible (after 7 a.m.) in order to book your desired tour time as there is a maximum of 12 people per tour. I suggest doing Ely Cathedral first anyway, as it's the only attraction open before 9 a.m.

At the Cambridge Visitor Information Centre, pick up the Ely Cathedral brochure with a sunset photo on front. Inside is a coupon good for one free brass rubbing next to the Cathedral gift shop!

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01353 667735
Address: Ely CB7 4DL
Directions: You can't miss Ely Cathedral; it is the center of this town.
Website: http://www.cathedral.ely.anglican.org/tour/tour.htm

Ely Museum is located in one of the oldest buildings in Ely, dating back to the 13th century.
It was used as a prison from about 1679 until 1836, and reconstructed cells illustrate the terrible conditions for poor prisoners.
The first exhibit you see on your left as you enter the museum is an open stone coffin with a skeleton inside. Stone coffins were used for burials during the Roman occupation and were often reused later by Anglo-Saxons.
Displays inside the museum are arranged in chronological order, so you see the history of Ely from Jurassic fossils and late Neolithic finds to its importance during World War II as well as the contributions of the local Cambridgeshire Regiment in Singapore.
Of course eels have a significant role in Ely's history and you can see old gleeves, multi-pronged spears used for catching eels. (See photo #3) Watch the accompanying video and you'll see that the punting boats of Cambridge were once used for hunting in the fens, with hunters shooting huge rifles that were fired from the prone position.
Another glimpse at local life in Ely is the exhibit of a sedan chair, used to carry ladies around town or on the Cathedral grounds. (See photo #4)
There is also an armored torso and fancy helmet on display which is a souvenir trophy from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. (See photo #2)
One item that caught my eye was a glass bottle with a marble inside the narrow neck below the top. (The marble is pushed down in order to open the bottle.) I had previously only seen this type of bottle in Japan, where it is used for a carbonated beverage called "ramune" but evidently English breweries used it long ago as well. This one had the town's name "Ely" embossed on it and is a recent donation to the museum. (See photo #5)

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01353 666655
Address: Market Street, Ely CB7 4LS
Directions: At the intersection of Market Street and Lynn Road, across from the Lamb Hotel
Website: http://www.elymuseum.org.uk/

One can not discuss the history of Ely without mentioning Oliver Cromwell, who is also known locally by his nickname "Lord of the Fens".
He is described in Ely tourist literature as a "humble fenland squire with a passion for religion and politics" and is credited with protecting Ely Cathedral from damage. He played a prominent role in Britain's civil war and actually served as an uncrowned king (he preferred the title "Lord Protector") from 1654 until his death from malarial fever in 1658.
His political career did not proceed smoothly though, and in 1636 he even considered joining a Puritan colony in America where pilgrims dined on turkey and yams in late November.
Instead of America, Cromwell moved to Ely and remained at this house from 1636-1646 while serving as local tax collector. The museum shows restored rooms arranged with furniture and artifacts of this time, as you also get a glimpse of 17th century life in the fens of rural England.
Also in Cromwell's house is the Tourist Information Centre, where you can pick up free brochures on Ely and surrounding areas and get help finding accomodations in Ely. The friendly TIC staff will be eager to answer any questions you might have, such as "Which local restaurants still serve eel pies in Ely?"
(Answer: The Boathouse)

Leave a Comment

Phone: (01353) 662062
Address: 29 St. Mary's Street, Ely CB7 4HF
Directions: Next to St. Mary's Church, west of the Cathedral
Website: http://www.ely.org.uk/tic.htm

Thursday and Saturday are market days in Ely, and so plan your visit accordingly. The Thursday market is mainly vegetables and fruit, so I suggest you go on Saturday when additional booths feature local handicrafts and antiques.
I went on a Saturday and enjoyed watching a spinning teacup ride for children. The antiques and collectables that were being sold included old Disney toys and plenty of Victorian china with Oriental themes. (See photo #2)

The people who come to market are also an attraction; one can be amused just by looking at all the village folk in the town square. Nowadays though more and more of Ely's population is comprised of Cambridge commuters, so the local market has a traffic jam of elderly people with slow electric buggies and young couples with big baby buggies.

The home-baked goods are tempting and you'll see a large variety of pies, breads, and other goodies like lemon curd and cheeses. (See photo #3) If you still want to try something unusual then consider low fat ostrich burgers, cooked on site by the local ostrich farm family. (See photo #4)

The markets are only on Thursdays and Saturdays, so if you come on a Sunday then the town square will be completely empty. (See photo #5)

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01353 665555
Address: Market Place
Directions: East end of High Street, northeast of the Cathedral