I went to Cambridgeshire for a long weekend and I spent in the first day and night in the charming city of Ely.
So naturally the first port of call was the beautiful Ely Cathedral!
There has been a church in Ely ever since Christianity first came to England, although not much is known about this original church.
Ely Cathedral was founded in AD 673 but its history begins a bit before that…
The story is centered on a Saxon princess and her desire to enter religious life.
Etheldreda was daughter of the King of East Angles, and like her father she became an ardent Christian. She always felt that religion was her calling, but for political reasons she married Tonbert, who gave her the land and royal rights to the Isle of Ely, and after his death, to Egfrid, heir to the kingdom of Northumbria. But her marriage to Egfrid was unhappy and after 12 years she managed to get his consent to retire to a convent to become a nun.
She founded a double monastery for men and women and it flourished for 200 years before it was destroyed by the Vikings when they invaded England in 869.
Ethedreda was acknowledged as a saint and Ely became a place of pilgrimage.
It’s a wonderful place to visit…
Especially with a camera!
You can climb up to the top of the cathedral to admire the commanding views of Ely.
Back inside I went into The Lady Chapel.
A space filled with light flooding in from every window.
The acoustics are particularly impressive in here: I sneezed and the sound echoed for a very long time (thanks, hay fever!)
After a few hours of exploring the cathedral we headed back to the hotel, the Poets House Hotel (following an adorable family of ducklings!)
Which, rather conveniently, was located directly opposite Ely Cathedral!
Our room suite was very large…
With an elegant copper slipper bath in the bedroom (this is how heartfelt bathroom mood-boarding starts, isn’t it?)
And the biggest shower I’ve ever seen.
Room with a view…
Sorry, I meant bath with a view!
This is not a sponsored post.
