Ely Cathedral from the Railway

The first monastery on this site was founded in 673 by St Aethelthryth daughter of the King Anna of East Anglia. A shrine was built here after her death and was destroyed in the 9th Century Danish Invasions. A new Benedictine Abbey was built by Athelwold Bishop of Winchester in 970 and became a Diocese in 1109.

The current building has one of the longest naves in England and has a West Tower of 215ft and a unique Octagon Lantern Tower of 1340 is 170ft high. The Cathedral on its 'island' in the Fens is visible from miles around.