Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England and easy to combine with a day trip to Cambridge if traveling from London via train. Although the etymology of Ely (pronounced ee-lee) is not fully agreed upon, it may come from its early nickname as the Isle of Eels. Ely was located on an island in the Fens, a coastal marshland area of England. The marshes were full of eels—and much other biodiversity—and eel fishing was a major part of the economy. I use the past tense because the Fens were drained in the 17th century and again, more successfully, in the 19th century, resulting in a dry but fertile farmland region.
There is archaeological evidence of Neolithic and Bronze age activity at the site, but the modern city of Ely originated in 673 AD with the construction of an abbey. The abbey went through cycles of destruction and rebuilding, but eventually, in 1083 AD during the Norman occupation of England, construction began on the cathedral that still stands today.
Ely Cathedral is nicknamed the Ship of the Fens, as it can be seen from the distance elevated over the flat Fenland. It was originally built in Romanesque style, with some portions rebuilt in a more ornate and decorative Gothic style. The cathedral has a classic cruciform plan with an adjoining Lady Chapel. The original square central tower collapsed in 1322 and was reconstructed, rather innovatively, with an octagonal shape. This Medieval octagonal lantern tower is a distinctive architectural feature of the cathedral.
