Ely, Cambridgeshire

City of Ely
West façade of Ely Cathedral from Palace Green, the former village green
Area	23 sq mi (60 km2)
Population	15,102 (2001 Census)
• Density	657/sq mi (254/km2)
OS grid reference	TL535799
Civil parish	Ely
District	East Cambridgeshire
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ELY
Postcode district	CB6, CB7
Dialling code	01353
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	South East Cambridgeshire
Website	East Cambridgeshire District Council

Ely (/ˈiːli/ EE-lee) is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles (23 km) north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles (129 km) by road from London. It is built on a 23-square-mile (60 km²) Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of 85 feet (26 m) is the highest land in the Fens. Owing to its strategic location and inherent defensibility, the Isle of Ely was seized and held by rebels on several occasions during the Middle Ages.

Æthelthryth (Etheldreda) founded an abbey on the island of Ely in AD 673; the abbey was destroyed in 870 by Danish invaders. The abbey was re-dedicated to Etheldreda by Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, in 970. Construction of the cathedral was started in 1083 by the first Norman bishop, Simeon. Sacrist Alan of Walsingham's octagon, built over Ely's nave crossing between 1322 and 1328, is the "... greatest individual achievement of architectural genius at Ely Cathedral" according to architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner. Building continued until the dissolution of the abbey in 1539 during the Reformation. The works of chorographic surveyor William Camden in 1586 and the journalist William Cobbett in 1830 chart a long period of degeneration. During the Gothic revival, the cathedral was sympathetically restored between 1845 and 1870 by the architect George Gilbert Scott. Ely's regeneration continued with the coming of the railways in 1845. Ely railway station, on the Fen Line, is now a major railway hub: north to King's Lynn, north-west to Peterborough, east to Norwich, south-east to Ipswich and south to Cambridge and London.

Major rivers including the Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse, feed into the Fens and, until man-assisted draining commencing in the seventeenth century, formed fresh-water 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 town of Ely was long considered a city by virtue of being the seat of a diocese. In 1974 city status was granted by royal charter on the Ely parish council. The economy of the region is mainly agricultural, although 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 and fowling. The city has been the centre of local pottery production for more than seven hundred years, including pottery known as Babylon-ware.

The Roman Road Akeman Street starting from Ermine Street near Wimpole through to Brancaster via central Ely. There is another Roman Road named Akeman Street. Little direct evidence of significant Roman occupation exists within Ely itself, although Roman settlements are known nearby at places such as Little Thetford and Stretham. In 1753 a coach route existed between Cambridge and Ely; this was improved in 1769 as a turnpike (toll-road). The present day A10 closely follows this route. The south-western bypass of the city of Ely was built in 1986.

History

Pre history

Roswell Pits are a palaeontologically significant Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of the city. The Jurassic Kimmeridge Clays were mined in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for the production of pottery and for maintenance of river embankments. During this process many specimens of ammonites, belemnites and bivalves were found including most of a Pliosaurus.

There is some scattered evidence of Late Mesolithic and Bronze Age activity in Ely such as Neolithic flint tools, a Bronze Age axe and a Bronze Age spearhead. Archaeology within Ely has shown there to be slightly denser Iron Age and Roman activity with some evidence of at least seasonal occupation. For example, a possible farmstead, of the late Iron Age early Roman period, was discovered at West Fen Road and some Roman pottery was found close to the East end of the cathedral on The Paddock. There was a Roman settlement including a tile-kiln built over an earlier Iron Age settlement in Little Thetford, 3 miles (4.8 km) south.

Saxon roots

The name Ely comes from Old English Ēl-gē meaning "eel region", from the eels abundant in the marshes around; Elge 731,Elyg 1086 (Domesday Book).

The city's origins lay in the foundation of an abbey in AD 673, a mile (1.6 km) to the north of the village of Cratendune on the Isle of Ely, under the protection of St Ethelreda, daughter of King Anna. This first abbey was destroyed in 870 by Danish invaders and then re-dedicated to Etheldreda in 970 by Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester. The first Norman bishop, Simeon, started building the cathedral in 1083. The octagon was rebuilt by Sacrist Alan of Walsingham between 1322 and 1328 after the collapse of the original nave crossing on 22 February 1322. Ely's octagon is considered by some to be "... one of the wonders of the medieval world, ...". Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner believes "[the octagon] is a delight from beginning to end for anyone who feels for space as strongly as for construction" and is the "... greatest individual achievement of architectural genius at Ely Cathedral".

Cherry Hill is the site of Ely Castle which is of Norman construction and is a United Kingdon scheduled monument. Of similar construction to Cambridge Castle, Ely's 250 feet (76 m) diameter 40 feet (12 m) high citadel-type motte-and-bailey is thought to be a royal defence built by William I; following the submission of the isle from rebels such as the Earl Mocar and the folk-hero Hereward the Wake. This would date the first building of the castle to circa 1070.

East aspect of St Mary's vicarage, a Grade II* listed building, taken from the grounds of St Mary's Church—out of the picture to the left. In 1638 Oliver Cromwell moved into this house—formerly belonging to his uncle Sir Thomas Steward—then moved to London in 1646. The house is now a museum and tourist information centre.

In 1142, Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex and Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke were sent by King Stephen of England to suppress the uprising of a group of knights who had established a base there. The castle may also have been used during this episode. De Mandeville's allegiance switched between Stephen and Empress Matilda as it suited him, and when Bishop Nigel travelled to Rome, de Mandeville, who had noted the ease with which the isle could be defended, took possession of it and held it against the king. From Ely, he and his rebels terrorised the surrounding Fens until 1144, when Stephen's army took control and de Mandeville was killed at Fordham. The same defensible quality of the Isle of Ely was noted by King Henry III in 1256. He was concerned that the Isle could again be seized and held by rebels, and ordered the Church to ensure that the entrance to the Isle was guarded "from sunset to sunrise so that no unlawful person could enter". In 1266, rebels supporting Simon de Montfort and styling themselves "The Disinherited" seized the Isle as a base for raiding the uplands. Supplies, livestock and wealthy persons were taken and carried back to Ely; the rich were held to ransom. After 1300, extreme care was taken in choosing bishops for Ely to ensure that they were loyal to the throne. Despite this, the city took part in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.

Oliver Cromwell lived in Ely for several years after inheriting the position of local tax collector in 1636. His former home dates to the sixteenth century and is now used by the Tourist Information Office, as well as being a museum with rooms displayed as they would have been in Cromwell's time. Cromwell was one of the Governors of the Thomas Parson's Charity, which dates back to the fifteenth century (1445) and was granted a Royal Charter by Charles I. The Original Charter and copies of the Minute Book containing Oliver Cromwell's handwriting and signature have been loaned to the Ely Museum. The Charity still provides Grants and Housing to deserving local applicants. During the English Civil War, Cambridgeshire was strongly on the parliamentarian side, but one of Bishop Matthew Wren's churchmen attempted to read a Royal proclamation at Ely. Some of the fenmen joined the Royalist army, and in 1642 parliament ordered that the land should be re-flooded by breaking of the dykes to stop a Royalist advance. The area became increasingly Puritan in outlook, and during the Ely assize of 1647 there were thirteen executions of witches.

Post medieval decline

Earliest known map of Ely by John Speed, 1610. The cathedral is dedicated to St Peter at this time and a windmill is shown on Mount Hill where the post-conquest motte-and-bailey Ely Castle once stood. In the 18th century the Reverend James Bentham planted trees on Mount Hill which has since been named Cherry Hill.

There was a form of early workhouse in 1687, perhaps at St Mary's, which may have been part of the arrangement made between the Ely people and a Norwich man in 1675. He was paid £30 per annum to employ the poor to 'spin jersey' and was to pay them in money not goods. A purpose-built workhouse was erected in 1725 for 35 inmates on what is now St Mary's Court. Four other workhouses existed: 1738–1956 Holy Trinity on Fore Hill for 80 inmates, 1837– Ely Union which became Tower Hospital and is now the residential Tower Court, The Haven Quayside for unmarried mothers and finally the site of what is now the Hereward Hall in Silver Street.

The diaries of writers such as William Camden, Celia Fiennes, Daniel Defoe, John Byng and William Cobbett show a picture of the decline of Ely and its cathedral following the fourteenth-century plague and sixteenth-century reformation which in turn led to the dissolution of the abbey in 1539. In the 1607 edition of the Britannia, chorographic surveyor William Camden records that "As for Ely it selfe, it is no small Citie, or greatly to be counted off either for beauty or frequency and resort, as having an unwholsome aire by reason of the fens round about, ...". In 1698, the English traveller Celia Fiennes was writing "The Bishop [Simon Patrick] does not Care to stay long in this place not being for his health; ... They have lost their Charter ... and its a shame [the Bishop] does not see it better ordered and y^e buildings and streetes put in a better Condition. They are a slothful people and for little but y^e takeing Care of their Grounds and Cattle w^ch is of vast advantage".Journalist and writer Daniel Defoe, when writing in the Eastern Counties section of A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain in 1722, went "... to Ely, whose cathedral, standing in a level flat country, is seen far and wide; ... that some of it is so antient, totters so much with every gust of wind, looks so like a decay, and seems so near it, that when ever it does fall, all that 'tis likely will be thought strange in it, will be, that it did not fall a hundred years sooner". On his way to a Midlands tour, notable diarist John Byng visited Ely on the 5 July 1790 staying at the Lamb Inn. In his diary he writes that "The town [Ely] is mean, to the extreme; ... those withdrawn, their dependancies must decay; ...". Recording in his Rural Rides on 25 March 1830, journalist William Cobbett reports that "Ely is what one may call a miserable little town: very prettily situated, but poor and mean. Everything seems to be on the decline, as, indeed, is the case everywhere, where the clergy are the masters".

The Ely and Littleport riots occurred between 22 and 24 May 1816 at Littleport and Ely. At the Special Commission assizes, held at Ely between 17 and 22 June 1816, twenty-four rioters were condemned. Nineteen had their sentences variously commuted from penal transportation for life to twelve-months imprisonment. Five of the twenty-four were executed on 28 June 1816. Ely Cathedral was "... the first great cathedral to be thoroughly restored". Work commenced in 1845 and completed nearly thirty years later; most of the work was sympathetically carried out by the architect George Gilbert Scott. The only pavement labyrinth to be installed in an English cathedral was installed below Ely's west tower in 1870.

Victorian and twentieth-century regeneration

Watercolour The Market Place, Ely by W W Collins published 1908 showing north-east aspect of Ely Cathedral in the background with the Almonry in front of that and the now demolished corn exchange building to the right of the picture

The Market Place, Ely, pencil and watercolour by W W Collins published 1908 showing north-east aspect of Ely Cathedral in the background with the Almonry—now a restaurant and art gallery—in front of that and the now demolished corn exchange building to the right of the picture.

For over 800 years the cathedral—built on an elevation of 68 feet (21 m) above the nearby fens—and its associated buildings, visually influenced the city and its surrounding area. They still do. Geographer John Jones, writing in 1924, reports that "... from the roof of King's Chapel in Cambridge, on a clear day, Ely [cathedral] can be seen on the horizon, 16 miles (26 km) distant, an expression of the flatness of The Fens". In 1954, architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote "... as one approaches Ely on foot or on a bicycle, or perhaps in an open car, the cathedral dominates the picture for miles around". He continues "... and offers from everywhere an outline different from that of any other English cathedral". Local historian Pamela Blakeman reports a claim that "Grouped around [the cathedral] ... is the largest collection of mediaeval buildings still in daily use in this country".

As the seat of a diocese with a cathedral, Ely has long been considered a city: the caption underneath John Speed's 1610 plan of Ely reads "Although this Citie of Ely ..." and Aikin refers to Ely as a city in 1800. The town of Ely, however, was not formally granted city status until 1 April 1974 by the Queen using letters patent. In the same announcement and by the same means, other English settlements were made cities such as the Parish of Wells and the Borough of York. Ely's population of 15,102 classifies it as one of the smallest cities in England, excluding the City of London.

Henry III of England formally granted a market to the Bishop of Ely using letters close on 9 April 1224 although Ely has been a trading centre prior to this. Present market day is Thursday and Saturday each week. The city is on the River Great Ouse and was a significant port until the eighteenth century, when The Fens were drained and Ely ceased to be an island. The river is a popular boating area with a large marina.

Government

The liberty of Ely

The abbey at Ely was one of the many re-founded as part of the Benedictine reforms of King Edgar the Peaceful (943–975). The special and peculiarly ancient honour and freedoms given to Ely by charter at this time may have been intended to award only fiscal privilege but have been interpreted to confer kinglike authority and power to subsequent bishops. These rights were reconfirmed in charters granted by Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror's confirmation of the old English liberty at Kenford. The Isle of Ely was mentioned in some statutes as a county palatine; this provided an explanation of the bishop's royal privileges and judicial authority, which would normally belong to the sovereign, but legal authorities such as Sir Edward Coke did not completely endorse the form of words. These bishop's rights were not fully extinguished until 1837.

Local

From 1889 to 1964 the Isle of Ely County Council covered the city and its surrounds. Before 1974 the city was administered by Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council, which merged with Huntingdon and Peterborough following the Local Government Act 1972. Since 1974 Ely has been part of East Cambridgeshire Non-metropolitan district and is the seat of the council. The city is divided into four wards: Ely South, Ely East and Ely West—all returning two district Councillors each—and Ely North—returning three councillors. In 2011, the seats were held by four Liberal Democrat and five Conservative councillors. Ely is governed by Cambridgeshire County Council to which the city returns two councillors, both of whom were Liberal Democrats in 2011.

Westminster

Boundary changes in 1918 saw the town of Ely merged with the old Wisbech constituency to create a new constituency of Isle of Ely. This seat was also a Tory-Liberal marginal until 1945, when the Tories won even in the wake of the national Labour landslide, and the Liberals finished in third place in the constituency for the first time ever. Clement Freud gained the seat for the Liberals at a by-election in 1973.

In 1983 Ely was transferred to the newly created constituency of South East Cambridgeshire, where it has remained since. Freud did not run in the constituency, instead contesting another new seat, North East Cambridgeshire (where he was defeated by the Conservatives), and the first member for the new South East Cambridgeshire was the former Conservative Foreign Secretary Francis Pym. James Paice has held the seat since 1987; he was appointed Minister of State for Agriculture and Food in the Coalition Government on 13 May 2010.

Geography

See also: The Fens

Geology and topography

A post 16th-century drainage map showing the Isle of Ely still surrounded by water
Joan Blaeu (1648) Regiones Inundatae

The west of Cambridgeshire is made up of middle Mesozoic Era rocks (limestones) from the Jurassic system whilst the east Cambridgeshire area consists of the upper Mesozoic Era rocks (chalks known locally as clunch) from the Cretaceous system. In between these two major formations, the high ground forming the Isle of Ely is from a lower division Cretaceous system known as Lower Greensand which is capped by Boulder Clay; all local settlements are on similar islands such as Stretham and Littleport. These islands rise above the surrounding flat tracts of land, the largest plain of Britain, from the Jurassic system of partly consolidated clays or muds. Kimmeridge Clay beds dipping gently west occur under the Lower Greensand of the area, exposed for example about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Ely in the Roswell Pits. The Lower Greensand is partly capped by glacial deposits which form the highest point in East Cambridgeshire rising to 85 feet (26 m) above sea-level in Ely.

The low-lying fens surrounding the island of Ely, prior to the seventeenth century, was formed by alternate fresh-water and sea-water incursions. Major rivers in the region, including the Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse drain 6,000 square miles (16,000 km²) of surrounding uplands into the basin forming The Fens; an upland area five times larger than The Fens itself. Defoe in 1774 described The Fens as "... the sink of no less than thirteen Counties ...". On 23 November of the same year, Church of England cleric and Christian theologician John Wesley, wrote of his approach to Ely after visiting Norwich "... About eight, Wednesday, 23, Mr. Dancer met me with a chaise and carried me to Ely. Oh, what want of common sense! Water covered the high road for a mile and a half. I asked, 'How must foot-people come to the town?' 'Why, they must wade throughl'". Peat formed in the fresh-water swamps and meres whilst silts were deposited by the slow-moving sea-water. During the seventeenth century, the Earl of Bedford, supported by Parliament, financed the draining of the Fens which was led by the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden, which continue to this day.

Climate

With an average annual rainfall of 24 inches (600 mm), Cambridgeshire is one of the driest counties in the British Isles. Protected from the cool onshore coastal breezes east of the region, Cambridgeshire is warm in summer and cold and frosty in winter. Regional weather forecasting and historical summaries are available from the UK Met Office. The nearest Met Office weather station is Cambridge. Additional local weather stations report periodic figures to the internet such as Weather Underground, Inc.

Climate data for Cambridge University Botanic Garden, elevation: 13 m (43 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1914–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.7 (60.3)	18.8 (65.8)	23.9 (75.0)	27.9 (82.2)	31.1 (88.0)	35.0 (95.0)	39.9 (103.8)	36.9 (98.4)	33.9 (93.0)	29.0 (84.2)	21.1 (70.0)	16.0 (60.8)	39.9 (103.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7.8 (46.0)	8.6 (47.5)	11.5 (52.7)	14.6 (58.3)	18.0 (64.4)	20.8 (69.4)	23.3 (73.9)	22.9 (73.2)	19.9 (67.8)	15.3 (59.5)	10.9 (51.6)	8.1 (46.6)	15.1 (59.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.8 (40.6)	5.2 (41.4)	7.3 (45.1)	9.7 (49.5)	12.8 (55.0)	15.6 (60.1)	17.9 (64.2)	17.7 (63.9)	15.0 (59.0)	11.4 (52.5)	7.5 (45.5)	5.0 (41.0)	10.8 (51.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.7 (35.1)	1.7 (35.1)	3.1 (37.6)	4.7 (40.5)	7.5 (45.5)	10.5 (50.9)	12.6 (54.7)	12.5 (54.5)	10.2 (50.4)	7.4 (45.3)	4.2 (39.6)	1.9 (35.4)	6.5 (43.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−16.1 (3.0)	−17.2 (1.0)	−11.7 (10.9)	−6.1 (21.0)	−4.4 (24.1)	−0.6 (30.9)	2.2 (36.0)	3.3 (37.9)	−2.2 (28.0)	−6.5 (20.3)	−13.3 (8.1)	−15.6 (3.9)	−17.2 (1.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	47.2 (1.86)	35.9 (1.41)	32.2 (1.27)	36.2 (1.43)	43.9 (1.73)	52.3 (2.06)	53.2 (2.09)	57.6 (2.27)	49.3 (1.94)	56.5 (2.22)	54.4 (2.14)	49.8 (1.96)	568.4 (22.38)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	10.7	8.9	8.1	7.9	7.4	8.7	8.4	8.7	8.1	9.5	10.5	10.3	107.3
Source: ECA&D

Climate data for Cambridge (NIAB), elevation: 26 m (85 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	15.4 (59.7)	18.3 (64.9)	23.9 (75.0)	26.9 (80.4)	29.5 (85.1)	33.5 (92.3)	39.9 (103.8)	36.1 (97.0)	32.0 (89.6)	29.3 (84.7)	18.3 (64.9)	16.1 (61.0)	39.9 (103.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7.7 (45.9)	8.3 (46.9)	11.0 (51.8)	14.1 (57.4)	17.4 (63.3)	20.4 (68.7)	23.1 (73.6)	22.9 (73.2)	19.6 (67.3)	15.1 (59.2)	10.7 (51.3)	8.0 (46.4)	14.9 (58.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.8 (40.6)	5.0 (41.0)	7.0 (44.6)	9.4 (48.9)	12.4 (54.3)	15.4 (59.7)	17.8 (64.0)	17.7 (63.9)	15.0 (59.0)	11.5 (52.7)	7.6 (45.7)	5.1 (41.2)	10.7 (51.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.9 (35.4)	1.8 (35.2)	3.1 (37.6)	4.6 (40.3)	7.4 (45.3)	10.5 (50.9)	12.6 (54.7)	12.6 (54.7)	10.5 (50.9)	7.9 (46.2)	4.5 (40.1)	2.2 (36.0)	6.7 (44.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−16.0 (3.2)	−15.3 (4.5)	−9.4 (15.1)	−5.9 (21.4)	−1.8 (28.8)	0.0 (32.0)	4.8 (40.6)	3.3 (37.9)	−0.6 (30.9)	−5.4 (22.3)	−8.9 (16.0)	−12.5 (9.5)	−16.0 (3.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	48.6 (1.91)	35.7 (1.41)	32.9 (1.30)	37.6 (1.48)	43.2 (1.70)	49.1 (1.93)	48.3 (1.90)	55.9 (2.20)	47.6 (1.87)	58.7 (2.31)	52.6 (2.07)	49.2 (1.94)	559.4 (22.02)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	10.4	8.7	8.1	8.0	7.3	8.7	8.4	9.0	8.0	9.6	10.4	10.5	107.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	57.2	77.8	118.4	157.2	182.7	182.5	190.0	181.3	144.0	110.3	67.6	53.7	1,522.7
Source 1: Met Office
Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather

Demography

The Domesday survey of 1086 reveals a population of 110 households who were mainly all rural. In 1251, a survey showed an increase in population to 345 households with the start of urban living although still largely rural. By the 1416 survey there were 457 occupied premises in the city and many of the streets were arranged much like they are today. See also the cartographer John Speeds plan of Ely, 1610. In 1563 there were 800 households recorded and a population of 3,000 people surveyed in 1753.

Historical population of Ely
Year	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901
Population	3,948	4,249	5,079	6,189	6,849	7,632	7,982	8,166	8,171	8,017	7,803
Year	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011
Population	7,917	7,690	8,381		9,988	9,803	9,966	10,392	11,291	15,102	–
Census: 1801–2001

Economy

Fishing (see Domesday), fowling (see Defoe), cattle, sheep, coprolite, clay, drainage, farming, sugar beet, peat farming Animal husbandry; "... grain as a fodder crop and for household use ..."; "... reclaimed land used for pasture for horses and sheep ..."; "... fishing and fowling in winter ..."; "... thriving local trade in wares made from reeds, osiers and rushes ..."

Gallois (1988) "The district is almost entirely agricultural and has always been so. The only mineral worked at the present time is gravel for aggregate. although chalk, brick clay (Ampthill and Kimmeridge clays), phosphate (from Woburn Sands, Gault and Cambridge Greensand), sand and gravel, and peat have been worked on a small scale in the past".

Ely had a long association with the production of pottery, commencing in the twelfth century and lasting until 1860. Around eighty persons who classed their trade as potters have been identified in the records. Babylon-ware is the name given to pottery made in one area of Ely. The ware is thought to be so named because there were potters in an area cut off from the main city by the re-routing of the River Great Ouse around 1200. By the 17th century this area had become known as Babylon, although the reason for the name is unclear. By 1850 the name was in official use on maps. The building of the Ely to Lynn railway in 1847 cut this area off even further, and the inhabitants could only cross to Ely by boat.

Culture

Eel day carnival procession down Fore Hill
2007

Annual events

Annual Fairs have been held in Ely since the twelfth-century. St Audrey's (Etheldreda's) seven-day fair, held either side of the 23 June, was first granted officially by Henry I to the abbot and convent on 10 October 1189. At this fair, cheap necklaces, made from brightly coloured silk, were sold. These were called tawdry lace. Tawdry, a shortened form of Audrey, now means cheap and gaudy jewellery. Two other fairs, the 15-day festival of St Lambert, first granted in 1312 and the 22-day Vigil of the Ascension, first granted in 1318. The festival of St Lambert had stopped by the 18th century. St Etheldreda's and the Vigil of the Ascension still continue although the number of days have been considerably reduced and the dates have since changed.

Present day annual events in Ely include the Aquafest, which has been staged at the riverside by the Rotary Club on the first Sunday of each July since 1978. Other events include the Eel Day carnival procession and the annual fireworks display in Ely Park, first staged in 1974. The Ely Folk Festival has been held in the city since 1985. The Ely Horticultural Society have been staging their Great Autumn Show in the city since 1927.

Twin town

• Ribe, Municipality of Esbjerg, Denmark

Landmarks

This cannon was captured during the Crimean War at the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) and was presented to the people of Ely by Queen Victoria in 1860. It is located on the Palace Green west of Ely Cathedral and north west of the Bishop's Palace

War memorial

The cannon on the Palace Green west of the cathedral was captured during the Crimean War at the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855). The inscription reads "Russian cannon captured during the Crimean War presented to the people of Ely by Queen Victoria in 1860 to mark the creation of the Ely Rifle Volunteers".

Notable buildings

See also: Listed buildings in Ely and Ely Cathedral

There are twenty three Grade I, six Grade II* and one hundred and fifty three Grade II listed buildings in the city of Ely.

Cherry Hill, on the south of the cathedral park, is the remains of the Norman period motte-and-bailey Ely Castle. The earliest written record of this 40-foot (12 m) high by 250 feet (76 m) diameter castle is in the time of Henry I. Two twelfth-century hospitals, St Mary Magdalene founded 1172 and St John the Baptist founded circa 1200, were on the site of what is now a four building farmstead. Building dates are not known but the extant remains indicate circa 1175–85. Bishop Northwold joined the two hospitals in 1240. The farmsteads Grade I listed building status was split when graded on 23 September 1950 into St John's Farmhouse, a barn to the south-west (formerly chapel of St John), a barn to the north (formerly chapel of St Mary) and a dovecote. Above the north doorway of the south-western barn of St John's farmhouse is a carved Barnack stone which is built into the thirteenth-century wall. The stone is thought to have originally come from the Anglo-Saxon monastery of St Ethelreda. This heavily weathered eighth-century stone shows a man blowing a horn whilst riding on an ox.

John Alcock, Bishop of Ely and founder of Jesus College, Cambridge in 1497, constructed the Bishop's Palace in Ely during his bishopric, between 1486 and 1501; of the original fabric, only the east tower and the lower part of the west tower remain. Benjamin Lany, Bishop of Ely from 1667 until 1675, demolished much of Alcock's work and thus became responsible for most of the present-day building. This Grade I listed building is south-west of and close to the west end of the cathedral, opposite the original village green, now named Palace Green.

St Mary's Vicarage, better known locally as Cromwell House, is a Grade II* Listed Building of mainly sixteenth-century plaster-frame construction although there exists some circa 1380 stone arches. A plaque on the front of the house records that this is "... Cromwell House, the residence of Oliver Cromwell from 1636-1647 when collector of Ely Tithes". The house was opened as a re-creation of seventeenth century living and a tourist information centre on 6 December 1990.

The Lamb Hotel is a Grade II Listed Building prominently situated on the corner of Lynn Road and High Street, 100 yards (91 m) north of the west end of the cathedral. The Hotel was erected as a coaching house on the site of the previous Lamb Inn during 1828/9. At that time it had stabling for 30 horses and a lock-up for two coaches. In 1906 it had 5 bedrooms for the landlord, 15 rooms for lodgers, room for 15 horses and 12 vehicles. In 2007 it had 31 rooms for guests. Some authorities claim the Lamb Inn has existed as an inn since Bishop Fordham's survey of 1416/7. Other authorities can confirm the building was an inn in 1690 but not any earlier than this.

The city's courthouse was built in 1821, replacing a previous court in the Shire Hall. It was closed in 2011 as part of central government measures to shut down 93 Magistrates' Courts across England and Wales.

Notable sites

Further information: [[:Ely Castle, Roswell Pits and Chettisham Meadow]]

The former Kimmeridge Clay quarry Roslyn or Roswell Pits, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-west of Ely Cathedral, are now a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The trees in Abbey Park were planted on Mount Hill in 1779 by James Bentham, a minor canon of Ely. Ely Castle once stood on Mount Hill which was renamed Cherry Hill following the tree plantings by Bentham. The Chettisham Meadow SSSI is a medieval ridge and furrow neutral grassland about 0.6 miles (1 km) north of the city centre. This site, one of the UK's best remaining examples of ridge and furrow agriculture, also contains protected species such as the Green-winged Orchid.

Transport

Engraving from The Illustrated London News of the station at Ely during the opening on 25 October 1847 of the Lynn and Ely railway, now part of the Fen Line

Buses

Further information: List of bus routes in Ely

Rail

Main article: Railways in Ely

Ely railway station, on the Fen Line, is a major railway hub with the Cambridge to Ely section opening in 1845. Five major railway lines—excluding the former Ely and St Ives Railway—emanate from this hub: north to King's Lynn, north-west to Peterborough, east to Norwich, south-east to Ipswich and south to Cambridge then London. At the opening of the 26.5-mile (42.6 km) Lynn and Ely railway "... with great éclat" on 25 October 1847, Ely station, built in 1847, was described by The Illustrated London News as "... an extensive pile in pleasing mixed Grecian and Italian style". The former Ely and St Ives Railway, known locally as the Grunty Fen express, opened in 1865 and was never popular. In 1866, the 7.5 miles (12.1 km) return journey from Ely to Sutton cost 2s 0d. That equates to a cost of almost £12 at present worth, as of 2024. The line closed to passengers in February 1931 and completely closed in 1964. There are now, in 2024, direct trains to Cambridge, London, most of East Anglia, the Midlands and the North. There are connecting services to many other parts of England and to Scotland. As of 2010, the operating companies were: First Capital Connect, National Express East Anglia, Crosscountry and East Midlands Trains.

Road

A Roman road, named Akeman Street, is documented from Ermine Street near Wimpole through Cambridge, Stretham and Ely to Brancaster through Denver. This is not the same road as the major Roman road named Akeman Street which started from Verulamium (south-west of St Albans) then via Tring and Aylesbury terminating near Alcester. In Bishop John Fordham's survey of Ely in 1416–1417, an east to west Akermanstrete or Agemanstrete is mentioned, which now forms part of the east-west Egremont Street. This east-west Ely street is not the Roman road Akeman Street, which should pass through Ely west of the cathedral in a north-south direction. It is suggested that the Wimpole to Brancaster road name of "Akeman was derived by antiquarians, without justification, from Acemanes-ceastre, an ancient name for Bath".

Medieval accountant Clement of Thetford made, or had others make on his behalf, many journeys between 1291–1292, as evidenced by his sacrist's rolls—the earliest known Roll of the Ely Monastery. For example, he travelled the 25 miles (40 km) to Bury fair to obtain rice, sugar, etc., the 16 miles (26 km) to Barnwell for wheels, axles, etc. for carts, then the 51 miles (82 km) to St Botolph's (Boston) for wine, the 14 miles (23 km) to Reche (Reach) for steel and iron and the 78 miles (126 km) to London, principally for things needed in the Vestry for the service of the Church but also to pay taxes. Some or parts of some of these journeys will have been made by river.

The 18th-century historian Edmund Carter, in his 1753 History of the County of Cambridge &c., described a thrice-weekly coach journey "... for the conveniency of ſending and receiving letters and ſmall parcels ..." from the Lamb Inn, Ely to the post-house, Cambridge. In the 1760's, the Reverend James Bentham, an antiquarian and minor canon of Ely, encouraged the ecclesiastical authorities and the townspeople of Ely to subscribe to a turnpike road between Ely and Cambridge improvements which started in 1769. The eighteenth century London to King's Lynn coach route, documented by the Postmaster General's surveyor, John Cary, passed through Ely with a coach stop at the Lamb Inn, a coaching-inn in 1753 and still extant as The Lamb Hotel. Cary measured the distance of the London (Shoreditch) to Ely section as being 67 miles (108 km). Ely is on the route of the contemporary north-south A10 trunk road from London to King's Lynn; the south-west Bypass of the town centre was built in 1986. The east-west A142 road from Newmarket to Chatteris passes through the south of the town.

A proposal for an Ely south-east bypass of the A142 is included in the major schemes of the Cambridgeshire Local Transport Plan. The proposed route would be a single, two lane carriageway and would include 1.2 miles (1.9 km) of new road construction between new roundabout junctions on Stuntney Causeway and Angel Drove. The bypass is intended to reduce congestion in Ely, and to avoid the low bridge on the Ely to Kings Lynn railway line, which has the third highest vehicle strike rate in the country. Proposals for the bypass went to public consultation in October 2011 and the County Council and District Council have announced that they hope to fund some of the costs of the bypass, estimated to be up to £28 million, with contributions from developers who are hoping to build a retail park near to the proposed route.

River

In 1753, Carter reports that "... for the conveniency of paſſengers, and heavy goods to and from Cambridge, ..." there was a boat leaving Ely every Tuesday and Friday for Cambridge; a 20 miles (32 km) journey which took six hours.

Religious sites

Ely Cathedral

View of the western tower of Ely Cathedral from St Mary's churchyard

Main article: Ely Cathedral

Further information: Diocese of Ely

The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is known as the "Ship of the Fens", a name inspired by the distant views of its towers, which dominate the low-lying wetlands known as The Fens. The diocese of Ely was created in 1108 out of the see of Lincoln, and a year later the bishopric of Ely was founded. The cathedral was started by William I in 1083, finally opening in 1189 after 116 years of planning. On 12–13 February 1322 it suffered the collapse of the main tower, which was rebuilt as an octagon. The cathedral was completed in 1351. John Wesley, writing of his 22 November 1774 visit to Ely, thought that " ... the cathedral, [is] one of the most beautiful I have seen. The western tower is exceedingly grand, and the nave of an amazing height".

Ely is the nearest cathedral city to Cambridge, which lies within the same diocese but does not have its own cathedral. The Diocese of Ely covers 1,507 square miles (3,903 km²) and holds 641,000 people (2011) and 335 churches. It includes most of the county of Cambridgeshire except for most of Peterborough, which has its own diocese and three parishes in the south which are in the diocese of Chelmsford. The Diocese of Ely also includes the western part of Norfolk, a few parishes in Peterborough and Essex, and one in Bedfordshire.

Other

The church of St Mary, dedicated by Bishop Eustace, is an early thirteenth-century building with a circa 1300 spire and tower with eight bells. The church was heavily restored starting in 1877. The St Etheldreda Roman Catholic Church in Egremont Street dates from 1891. The Methodist chapel building, in Chapel Street, was built in 1818 and was restored in 1891. The Salem Baptists chapel was erected in 1840. The Church of St Peter on Broad Street was built in 1890. The architect was James Piers St Aubyn.

Sport

See also: Fen skating

Ely City F.C. is a football club that was established in 1885 and joined the Eastern Counties Football League in 1960. In the 1997-98 season, they reached the 3rd round of the FA Vase. Since the 2007–08 season they have been members of the Eastern Counties Football League Premier Division.

The University of Cambridge rowing team has a boathouse on the bank of the river, and trains there for the annual Boat Race against the University of Oxford. In 1944 the Boat Race took place on a one and a half mile (2.4 km) course on the River Great Ouse near Ely, the only time it has not been held on the River Thames. On that occasion the race was won by Oxford.

Education

Schools in Ely include The King's School, Ely, Ely College and St. John's Community Primary School. The Ely High School for Girls opened in 1905 in St. Mary's Street, moving to the Downham Road site in 1957. In 1972 Ely High School closed when state secondary education in the area changed to the comprehensive model, the site becoming the City of Ely College, subsequently Ely Community College and currently Ely College.

Public services

Anglian Water supplies the City water and sewage services from their Ely Public Water Supply zone FE33. The water quality was reported as excellent in 2011. In the same report, the hardness was reported as 292 mg/l. The nearest reservoir, Grafham Water, is 21 miles (34 km) due west.

The Distribution Network Operator for electricity is EDF Energy. The largest straw-burning power station in the world is at nearby Sutton. This renewable energy resource power station rated at 36.85 MW from burning biomass, nearly 25 percent of the total renewable energy reported for Cambridgeshire in 2009. The world's largest poultry litter power plant, 38.5 MW, is at Thetford, Norfolk.

East Cambridgeshire District Council is part of the Recycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (RECAP) Partnership, which was granted Beacon status for waste and recycling in 2006–2007.

National health services (NHS) for the City are administered by NHS East of England. Acute cases are handled by four hospitals, including Addenbrooke's Hospital, 20 miles (32 km) south and Papworth Hospital 28 miles (45 km)south-west of the city. The Princess of Wales Hospital, Ely is a community hospital that was the former RAF Hospital constructed during the second world war to serve the nearby airfields.

Notable people

Dawn by the river Great Ouse, Ely

The former RAF hospital based in Ely meant that many children of serving RAF parents were born in the city. These include rugby union player and Rugby World Cup 2003 winning manager with England national rugby union team, Clive Woodward, Australian émigrée actor Guy Pearce, and actor Simon MacCorkindale. Autogyro world record holder Ken Wallis was also born in Ely. Other notable people from Ely include The Sisters of Mercy singer Andrew Eldritch, and journalist Chris Hunt. Crime writer Jim Kelly and award winning poet Wendy Cope currently live in the city.

Cultural references

Children's book Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is partly set in Ely and includes a scene in Ely Cathedral and scenes inspired by the author's father's own childhood experiences of skating along the frozen river from Cambridge to Ely in the frost of 1894–95. The first series of Jim Kelly's crime novels, featuring fictional journalist Philip Dryden, is largely set in the author's home town of Ely and in the Fens.

See also

• List of places in Cambridgeshire

References

Footnotes

Notes

Bibliography

• Aikin, John (1800), England delineated (IV ed.), J. Johnson
• Andrews, Robert (2004), Rough guide to England, ISBN 9781843532491
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• Bauckham, David (2006), Dugouts, New Holland Publishers, ISBN 1845374789
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• Betts, Graham (2005), Collins complete British hit albums, Collins, ISBN 9780007205325
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• Cary, John (1817), Cary's New itinerary; or, An accurate delineation of the great roads ... throughout England and Wales; with many of the principal roads in Scotland etc, His Majesties Postmaster General
• Cessford, Craig; Alexander, Mary; Dickens, Alison (2006), "Between Broad Street and the Great Ouse: waterfront archaeology in Ely", East Anglian Archaeology, vol. Report No. 114, Cambridge Archaeology Unit
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• Dorman, B E (1986) [1945], The story of Ely (7 ed.), Norwich: Black Horse
• Gallois, R W (1988), Geology of the country around Ely: Memoir for 1:50 000 geological sheet 173 (England and Wales), London: HMSO: British Geological Survey, ISBN 0118843958 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Gray, Ronald D; Stubbings, Derek (2000), Cambridge street-names: their origins and associations, Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521789561
• Greig, A; Martin, J (1998), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's State of the Environment Report (PDF), Cambridgeshire County Council, retrieved 3 November 2011 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
• Hampson, Ethel M; Atkinson, T D (1953), "Chapter 2: City of Ely", in Pugh, Ralph B (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England: A history of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely, vol. Vol. IV, London: for The University of London Institute of Historical Research by the Oxford University Press, pp. 27–89 {{citation}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Holton-Krayenbuhl, Anne, ed. (2011), The topography of medieval Ely, vol. Vol. 20, Cambridge: Cambridgeshire Records Society, ISBN 9780904323221 {{citation}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
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• Jones, John (1924), A human geography of Cambridgeshire, London: Sidgwick & Jackson
• Marr, J E; Thomas, H D (1967) [1938], "Chapter 1: Geology", in Salzman, L F (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, vol. Vol. I, London: for The University of London Institute of Historical Research reprinted by Dawsons of Pall Mall, pp. 1–33 {{citation}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Miller, Edward (1969) [1951], The abbey and bishopric of Ely, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 521077788 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
• Miller, Edward (1953), "Chapter 1: The Liberty of Ely", in Pugh, Ralph B (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England: A history of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely, vol. Vol. IV, London: for The University of London Institute of Historical Research by the Oxford University Press, pp. 1–27 {{citation}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Miller, Samuel H; Skertchly, Sydney B J (1878), "Chapter 1: Geographical sketch of the Fenland", The Fenland past and present, London: Longmans & Green, pp. 1–13
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• Summers, Dorothy (1976), The Great Level: A history of drainage and land reclamation in the Fens, London: David & Charles, ISBN 0715370413

Further reading

• Bentham, James (1817), The history and antiquities of the conventual & cathedral Church of Ely: from the foundation of the Monastery A. D. 673 to the year 1771: Supplement : comprising enlarged accounts of the monastery, Lady Chapel, Prior Crawden's Chapel, the places and other buildings connected with the ..., vol. Vol. III, Stevenson {{citation}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

External links

• Historical documents relating to Ely, including Church of England parish registers, court records, maps and photographs, are held byCambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office in Cambridge
• Template:Wikitravel* Ely Index
• Ely On-Line
• Ely Info