Ely Cathedral was started by Abbot Simeon
under William the first in 1083 when it was
carved out of the Diocese of Lincoln. Work
continued until 1351.
The original tower was destroyed in 1322 in
a collapse which severely damaged the choir
and rebuilt as an octagonal tower. The
change in styled created a cathedral that is
effectively half Gothic, half Romanesque.
The Gothic octagonal tower is the only
Gothic medieval dome in existence anywhere.
William Hurley the King's carpenter added a
lantern tower of 43m tall to finish the present
design off although a total of three
mastercraftsman worked on the design at the
same time. The cost of this was
£24,061.34½.
The church including the Lady Chapel is
172 metres making it the longest medieval
church in western Europe. The nave is 61
metres long and 21.9 metres high.
As with many originally Norman cathedrals
this was built on the site of a previously
demolished Anglo Saxon church. Unusually
however many of the relics were saved and
are still displayed in the church today.
The north-west tower collapsed in the 15th
century and was never rebuilt.
Ely Cathedral contains some of the finest
Romanesque architecture in the UK, in
particular the west front and the Galilee porch.
Companies
If your company has been involved with the Design/Build, Supply or Maintenance of this building please submit your details.
