The Isle of Ely – no longer an isle, but still a paradise

 

Today we travelled from Cambridge to visit Ely, or the Isle of Ely as it is more frequently known, given that until the drainage of the 18th century the island was cut off from the rest of Cambridgeshire by the effect of the Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse which make the rest of the fens, apart from this slightly higher ground at Ely, waterlogged. 

Breakfast

As mentioned in yesterday’s post our normal treat of a Premier Inn Breakfast was not available to us this morning, as, due to Covid, the restaurant was closed. Instead, we used the early morning (from our 5.30am wake up) until 8:45am to use the excellent Premier Inn Wi-Fi and catch-up with stuff.

We left the Premier Inn at 8:45am and headed for the nearest place that served breakfast – McDonalds on Newmarket Road a mile from the hotel. 

Drew opted for his favourite Double Sausage and Egg McMuffin breakfast while I, as it is a Friday, was limited to an Egg and Cheese McMuffin. [Co-pilot's note: And, dear readers, oh did he whinge about it!!]

Travelling to Ely

We left Cambridge at 9:40am and arrived in Ely at 10:10am again time was a factor in our planning. Though parking is free in the long stay car park in Barton Road, Ely, parking between 8:30am and 10am is limited to two hours whereas after 10am parking is available all day. 

Ely

I mentioned above the Ely may be a paradise, this is influenced by the possibility (one of many, none overly convincing) that the name of Ely comes from the Latin Elysium (Paradise), as St Etheldreda's chamberlain, Ovin, described it as "an ancient place of great spiritual importance to the people of the region, a paradise". It is a nice calm place after the rush and bustle of Cambridge yesterday.

Ely Cathedral

St. Etheldreda, the founder of the Abbey at Ely, was the daughter of the East Anglian King Anna. As noted in Sunday’s blog post her younger sister, Withburga, was the founder of the Abbey at Dereham. 

St Etheldreda image is second from the left

Following her death St. Etheldreda, also known, by the Norman corruption of her name, as Audrey, was venerated and her intact body was excavated and brought to be reinterred in the Abbey that is today the Cathedral of Ely. 

As Robin mentioned in his comment on Sunday’s post the word Tawdry, comes from a description of the ‘St. Audrey Lace’ sold at St. Audrey’s fair in Ely which by the 17th century was unfashionable and regarded as cheap or vulgar.

The abbey was destroyed by the Danes and restored when the Anglo-Saxons retook the area. With the attraction of having a great saint as its founder with her shrine present in the Abbey by the year 970 the restored abbey at Ely was the richest abbey in England except for Glastonbury.

With the coming of the Norman’s the new (i.e. current) building was developed and in 1109 it was made a Cathedral. For centuries, Etheldreda's shrine was the focus for vast numbers of medieval pilgrims. It was destroyed in 1541, but a slate in the Cathedral still marks the spot where it stood.  

The Cathedral was refounded in 1541 with the last Prior of the monastery becoming the first Cathedral Dean. Though the Cathedral was closed for 11 years by Oliver Cromwell who is said to have used it as a stable for his Calvary Horses it retained much of its form, though puritans destroyed the stained glass and much of the statuary.

The Lady Chapel

An amazing feature of Ely is the size of its Lady Chapel, there are many churches in Wales which are smaller than this immense ‘side chapel’. Given the amount of destroyed small images (with their faces broken off) and without stained glass it is still possible to imagine how amazing this huge light space would have been with the twinkle of candles, light coming through coloured glass and much coloured decoration on all the statues both large and small. 

The current statue of Our Lady in the chapel makes me think of the Disney Princess Merida more than Mary, the Mother of Jesus, but artistic taste is different for everyone.

Ceiling Images

Drew, so impressed by the ceiling images in the Cathedral found it was easier to lie down on the floor to take photos than it was to lean back to achieve the same effect.

Stained Glass

The stained glass in the Cathedral is also very impressive, largely Victorian, it still shows a wide range of images more associated with Catholic tradition. 

Stained Glass Museum

A bonus for our visit was the Stained Glass Museum, this excellent history of stained glass from the early days to today is in the South West Tower of the Cathedral. Robin had told us about it some years ago, but it was well worth seeing in person and listening to the free audio guide available on my mobile via QR codes.

An Early Example of staining glass

A later piece looking like a painting with rich details

We have many photos from the museum and Drew again had to fold himself into lotus position to get his best shots. 

Back to Wagtail Barn via Sainsbury’s Petrol Station

We left Ely at 12.30pm and drove along the A10 to the A47 and on to Sainsbury’s Petrol Station in New Costessey, then back to the Barn by 2pm in time for some fruit for lunch.

Dinner

This evening, given it is a Friday, I looked for places where we I could have a meat free meal. We had passed the Greenstone pub, owner by Marston’s who have recently bought the Brains pubs in Wales, on our way into Dereham eight or nine times. So, we booked a table for 7pm.

I began with nachos which were served with guacamole, sour cream and a tangy tomato salsa.

Drew went for breaded mushrooms with a garlic mayonnaise

I went for fish and chips with mushy peas – I was amazed to find a huge piece of fish, bigger than the plate. It was a nice piece of Cod with a fluffy batter and bread to mop up the juices. A simple but tasty meal.

Drew had a double beefburger with jalapeños and mature cheddar cheese with onion rings. He was happy with the well-cooked burger. 

For dessert Drew opted for Sicilian Lemon Muffin Cheesecake with ice cream – he loved this tangy sweetness.

We got back to the Barn at 8.30pm packed our cases and sorted things out ready for the morning before going to bed at 10pm.