Day 7 Cambridge

We finally had our trip to Ely. It’s only about fifteen minutes away on the train, and is a pretty little town. It has an interesting history, having been an island, with marshes separating it from the sea. There was a thriving fishing industry, eels being the predominant catch, hence the name. Over the years numerous attempts were made to drain the marshes, and at times Dutch designers were employed. However, even windmills didn’t manage to keep the sea away permanently, until power was added in the 1860s. Now there is fertile farmland separating the town from the sea.

There’s a huge cathedral which predominates the view as you approach the town, and which dates from 1081. We didn’t go inside, as we’ve seen quite a few churches, but it is certainly a beautiful building. In the grounds was a cannon that was captured from the Russians in the Crimean War. Queen Victoria gave it to Ely to honour their contribution in the conflict.

The other place of interest is a house where Oliver Cromwell lived for ten years, after it was bequeathed to him by his uncle. This was before he led the movement to execute Charles I and became Lord Protector of England.

Ely is built on the Great Ouse River. The riverside near the town has been developed to make a lovely parkland, and there are quite a few canal boats, some of which obviously have permanent residents. We also saw some school kids practising their rowing. As you can see it was a lovely day again weather wise,so we were able to enjoy our day to the full.

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