Friday 2 May 2008

The Ship of the Fens

You'll be thinking I do nothing but go out on day trips! So far this year it probably seems like that! Yes, I've been out again. Yesterday I went to Ely with my local coach friends who took us to Ireland last month. We were fairly lucky with the weather as you'll see from the photos but I decided to play safe and take a tour of Ely Cathedral, which I have wanted to visit for a long time but never seemed to have the time for on the few occasions that I happened to pass through Ely.

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Previously I have popped into the cathedral for a cuppa but have never ventured round the whole of the interior. I have always loved the cathedral at Lincoln but I have to say that Ely is a very special place.



The cathedral is a huge edifice and has a long and chequered history. The view above is looking East towards the central octagon tower and the view below looks West to the Lady Chapel and the Octagon. (More of the Lady Chapel later).





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Ely sits on the Great Ouse River which is now more of a leisure facility that a shipping way. I had chance to quickly pop down to the waterfront before we left Ely and as you can see it was beautiful. The grey roofed building on the far bank on the right is a boathouse used by the Cambridge University boat race crew when practising.




It is very difficult to get a good photograph of the cathedral as it is so tall but I was able to take this view from the back of the cathedral as I walked back from the Riverside.



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3 comments:

Genie said...

Hi Julie.
love the photos, have never been to Ely, but on researching family trees, found some of my DHs ancestors came from Ely.
have a god weekend

Mrs Moog said...

Lovely photos Julie! the cathedral looks vast and very beautiful. We've never been there but Moogsdad's Aunty Pam was Canonised there a few years ago.

She was one of the first female vicars.....but definately no Vicar of Dibley!!!!

xxx

sharon young said...

What an amazing building, I'd love to see it in the flesh. It looks as if you had a good day for your visit.