A tiny metropolis of enchanting appeal that hides within the shadow of its well-known neighbour, but it provides so historical past to the curious traveller…and there is jellied eels!
This beautiful metropolis is underrated (Picture: Getty)
With its cute cobbled squares, historic buildings and its towering cathedral seen for miles throughout the fens, this beautiful pocket metropolis is the usually forgotten gem of the east of England, overshadowed by Cambridge just some miles away.
Native historian Pamela Blakeman factors out that “Grouped across the cathedral is the biggest assortment of medieval buildings nonetheless in every day use on this nation”.
Oilver Cromwell lived in right here from 1636 to 1646 after inheriting St Mary’s vicarage, a sixteenth century property — now generally known as Oliver Cromwell’s Home – from his mom’s brother, Sir Thomas Steward. The home is now open to the general public and simply one of many many historic points of interest to see.
This metropolis can be identified for its eel fishing, and jellied eels had been a well-liked dish, even attracting clients from London. Town has an annual Eel Pageant which options occasions like an eel throwing competitors (with toy eels, in fact) and a parade led by an enormous eel. Town additionally boasts an Eel Path, a marked stroll that highlights the town’s eel heritage by public artwork and historic websites. Whereas eels had been as soon as a significant a part of the native financial system and weight loss plan, their populations have declined lately. Nonetheless, efforts are underway to preserve and improve their numbers.
The cobblestone courtyards of Ely. (Picture: Getty)
Ely Cathedral in Ely, the Fens metropolis of Cambridgeshire (Picture: Getty)
Town in fact is Ely. The “Isle of Ely” was so known as as a result of it was solely accessible by boat till the waterlogged Fens had been drained within the seventeenth century. Nonetheless vulnerable to flooding right now, it was these watery surrounds that gave Ely its authentic title, the ‘Isle of Eels’, and its relatively ethereal, mysterious magnificence.
Ely is constructed on a 23-square-mile (60 km2) Kimmeridge Clay island. The tiny Cambridgeshire metropolis, dominated by its magnificent cathedral, is barely 14 miles northeast of the county metropolis of Cambridge, typically described as essentially the most lovely within the UK. Rising above the Cambridgeshire Fens, Ely is a vacation spot metropolis typically neglected resulting from its world-famous neighbour.
Later it grew to become “the primary nice cathedral to be completely restored.” Work commenced in 1845 and was accomplished almost thirty years later; many of the work was “sympathetically” carried out by the architect George Gilbert Scott. The one pavement labyrinth to be present in an English cathedral was put in under the west tower in 1870.
Ely Eel Day is scheduled for Saturday, Might 2nd, 2026, held at Jubilee Gardens. (Picture: Cambridge Information)
Oliver Cromwell’s home in Ely is now a museum. (Picture: Getty)
For over 800 years the cathedral and its related buildings — constructed on an elevation 68 toes (21 m) above the close by fens — have visually influenced the town and its surrounding space. Geographer John Jones, writing in 1924, stories that “from the roof of King’s Chapel in Cambridge, on a transparent day, Ely [cathedral] could be seen on the horizon, 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 maybe in an open automobile, the cathedral dominates the image for miles round … and provides from all over the place a top level view completely different from that of another English cathedral”.
The favored journey assessment web site Muddy Stilettos mentioned that Ely “has loads going for it – direct trains to Cambridge (19 minutes) and London (70 minutes), indies aplenty and naturally the cathedral. Rolling hills there should not, however the flat, water-logged countryside has an odd form of magnificence you’ll come to like”.
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Additionally they known as Ely Cathedral “one of many wonders of japanese England”, including that “seeing this marvel of structure rising above the flat vista has to make dwelling right here a every day delight. The streets are lined with picture-postcard historic homes and cute little cobbled squares, and it lies on the gorgeous River Nice Ouse, the place you’ll be able to row and stroll to your coronary heart’s content material.”
On the subject of foods and drinks, they recommended The Outdated Fireplace Engine Home as “a conventional restaurant and artwork gallery in a beautiful Georgian Home that serves meals impressed by the Fens”. Jellied eels anybody?
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