Photographs of Ely Cathedral
Click on an image to see the full picture
The cathedral is built from stone quarried in Northamptonshire and bought
from Peterborough Abbey for 8000 eels a year, with decorations in Purbeck Marble
and local clunch. The plan of the building is cruciform (cross-shaped), with the
altar at the east end. The total length is 537 feet and the nave is the longest
in Britain at more than 250 feet.
Attached to the north transept is the Lady Chapel built 1321-1349 by Alan of
Walsingham. He also planned the octagonal tower that was built after Simeon's
original crossing tower collapsed.
The ceiling of the nave was constructed in 1850 and follows the contours of the
A-frames and scissor braces above to produce the five-sided half-barrel shape.
The paintings depict the sacred history of man from creation to Christ in Glory.
