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Discover Ely, Cambridgeshire

Ely, Cambridgeshire, EnglandEly, Cambridgeshire, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ely-Cambridgeshire-5.jpg
Author: Pierre Terre
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Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. It owes its position from the Ely Cathedral, which traces its founding to King Æthelthryth (also known as St Ethelreda) in AD 673. The city located 23 km (14 miles) to the northeast of Cambridge covers 60 sq km (23 sq mi) and has a population of 15,000 people (2012 estimate).

Ely is located in the marshy region of eastern England known as Fenland or The Fens. The marshland was drained in the 17th century, creating land that is used mainly for farming. The name Ely comes from Old English meaning "eel region", due to the abundance of eels in the surrounding rivers. It is unrelated to the town of Ely in Nevada, USA.

Being a seat of a diocese, Ely is considered a cathedral city. However it only received official city status on 1 April 1974 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth II. Its population makes Ely one of the smallest cities in England.

Ely CathedralEly Cathedral: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ely_Cathedral_-_geograph.org.uk_-_828263.jpg
Author: Pierre Terre
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Visiting Ely

Being a railway hub, Ely receives train services from different directions. You can take a train from London Kings Cross as well as from Ipswich, Norwich, Kings Lynn, Birmingham and Liverpool.

If you're going to Ely by car, take the M11 motorway until Cambridge, then continue north on the A10 (Ely Road), until you reached the city.

Oliver Cromwell House, ElyOliver Cromwell House, Ely: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ely_Oliver_Cromwell_House.jpg
Author: Gwendraith
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Places of Interest in Ely

  1. Ely Cathedral: Cathedral established by King Æthelthryth as a monastery church in AD 673. The present church building dates from the 11th century.

  2. Oliver Cromwell Museum: Museum located within the home of the English political leader, who lived there from 1636 until 1647.

  3. Stained Glass Museum: Museum displaying exquisite examples of stained glass.

  4. Wicken Fen: Nature reserve managed by the National Trust.

Ely is on the Map of cities in England

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Map of Ceremonial Counties of England

About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.
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