Ely Cathedral
Name of Building
Ely Cathedral
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, U.K
Date the building was designed and/or first built
1081: Construction on current cathedral began
1109: Achieved status of cathedral
1189: Basic construction complete
1322: Octagon tower construction begins
1349: Lady Chapel is finished
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Overseer: Abbot Simeon
Culturally Specific Time Period
Middle Ages
Geo-Location
52°23'55"N 0°15'49"E
Materials
Stone
Marble
Limestone
Size and/or Scale of Building
537 ft in length, 217 ft in height
Architectural Type
Religious
Formal Style
Romanesque
Building Description
The layout of the Ely Cathedral is that of a cross, with two large towers protruding into the sky at the cross's intersection and at its feet. The cathedral is about 21 stories tall, and the length of one and a half football fields. The main entrance is at the bottom of the cross layout. The structure itself is built out of stone, marble, and limestone. The exterior of the cathedral is ordinately decorated, showcasing various sizes in arches that are carved into the cathedrals walls, with scallops and crosses meticulously filling in each empty gap in the stone. The structure is a muddled gray color, showing faint signs of its survival through the centuries. On the tower where the entrance is, a large golden clock faces the visitors. Small turrets also reach to the sky in various places along the roof. Windows are generously carved into the cathedral, allowing much light to shine into the church. Many of the windows are made of stained glass, allowing for much color and life to be brought into the building. This building was used as a cathedral throughout history, allowing a place for people to come and worship. The religious building was created to encapsulate the sight of those who visit and for people to be in awe of its structure. As mentioned previously, the layout of the building is that of a cross. Seeing as this is a cathedral, the cross was a deliberate choice, invoking emotion of what Jesus Christ had gone through historically.
Image source
Image 1: Ely Cathedral from Quanea Drove F.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Ely_Cathedral_from_Quanea_Drove_F.jpg)
Image 2: Ely Cathedral Choir, Cambridgeshire, UK - Diliff.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Ely_Cathedral_Choir%2C_Cambridgeshire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
Image 3: Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel, Cambridgeshire, UK - Diliff.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Ely_Cathedral_Lady_Chapel%2C_Cambridgeshire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
Image 4: Ely Cathedral High Altar, Cambridgeshire, UK - Diliff.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Ely_Cathedral_High_Altar%2C_Cambridgeshire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
Image 5: Ely Cathedral February 2018 021.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Ely_Cathedral_February_2018_021.jpg)
Image 6: Ely Cathedral - Google Art Project.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Ely_Cathedral_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Image 7: Ely Cathedral From Air.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Ely_Cathedral_From_Air.jpg)
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 5: Creative Commons
Image 6: Creative Commons
Image 7: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Hannah Demory
Bibliographic references for the item
https://www.britannica.com/place/Ely-cathedral
https://www.elycathedral.org/about/history-heritage/the-story-of-ely
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ely_Cathedral
Collection
Citation
Overseer: Abbot Simeon, “Ely Cathedral,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/48.
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