A Day in Ely

We were wanting to go into Ely for more than a fleeting visit and, in view of the mooring shortage we opted to travel in by bus from Little Thetford. Is is an hourly service and by the time we were all ready we had just insufficient time to catch the 10:10 so it had to be the 11:10, given that it is a 20 minute walk from the boat. By the time we reached the bus stop, Mike discovered the live times for Stagecoach and that the service was running around 6 or 7 minutes late, nearer 10 by the time it finally arrived.

After the bus passed Sainsbury we were a little worried that it was heading out into the country again - this particular service goes on from Ely to March. However  a more knowledgeable fellow passenger reassured us - apart from wanting to give as much of the city a chance to catch the service, it also has to take into account the one way system in the centre. Finally, it dropped us where we expected  in market Street. From there it was a short walk to the cathedral.

Alice took a keen interest in the same sculpture that intrigued Christine a few days ago. By now we knew that it was part of a summer-long exhibition by Helaine Blumenfeld, originally from New York but who has lived in Cambridge for over four decades.

However, our priority was a drink and we sat out on the green with our coffee or Rose Lemonade from the small refectory cafe.

Inside we spend a long time just wandering around,taking in both the large scale and grand structures as well as the more intimate and small scale items.

But first a number of the Blumenfeld sculptures - they all have a consistent style, some from marble but others from wood or clay.

The nave greets visitors from the West End with sheer grandeur. After taking in the main view, a mirror allows those of us with less flexible necks also to see the amazing ceiling.

Today, the main focus of worship is normally the Octagon, with its modern altar and podium

This contrasts with the older, more closed in and darker choir stalls which come from an age when most of the ordinary congregation were kept at a distance, something that also affected Oliver Cromwell as we would discover this afternoon.

Above the pulpit is a modern sculpture, carved in oak by Peter Ball and covered in copper, brass and gold leaf. The note alongside says that it reminds preachers of their responsibility not to expound their own ides but to point to Christ.

There are endless memorial tablets, many of them to former bishops, deans or other church dignitaries associated with the running of the cathedral. Some have particular stories to go with them. Dean Henry Ceasar (dean from 1614 - 1636) left a large sum of money but unfortunately it was lent to Charles I at the beginning of the Civil War and was never repaid! (Perhaps he never had the head for it!)

Both the large Lady Chapel and (here) a chantry have intricate designs to their ceilings.

Behind the High Altar is a reredos design by George Gilbert Scott (of st Pancras fame?)depicting the events of Holy Week.

Another tablet remembers William Lynne of Bassingbourn. His widow married Robert Cromwell and one of their sons was Oliver, later Lord Protector.

This sculpture by David Wynne captures the moment when Mary Magdelene recognises Jesus on the morning of his resurrection.

Dean Charles Merivale might remain rather unknown were it not for the fact that he devised and rowed in the first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in 1829.

Outside we noticed this bright sun dial.

Time then for lunch - service from the same cafe was rather slow - it seems that we made the mistake of ordering paninis as the staff really don't like having to maker them! We would have been more in their good books if, like a queue of others, we had gone for sandwiches! A family of ducks with three very small  ducklings searched for food as Alice sat on the grass. Cafe staff came out with some proper duck food for them.

On then to Oliver Cromwell's House, just a short walk away. He moved here after growing up in St Ives and Huntingdon and gradually left his modest background behind him, helped bu an inheritance from a wealthy uncle. Within fours years he was elected as a Member of Parliament which set him on his collision course with the King and courtiers around him.

Cromwell had already been through a significant religious experience that left him convinced that he was called by God to something special. Initially he had no idea what that might entail. He also developed very specific religious practices which placed a strong emphasis on the individual believers and the reading for themselves of scripture. Soon after he entered parliament, Charles I started on a  very different course which some felt more like a return to Roman Catholicism and betrayal of the Reformation. Cromwell had found his vocation.

There are few depictions of Cromwell made in his lifetime but this portrait was commissioned as a 'warts and all' painting.

The house is now set out as museum to the life and times of the Civil War and each visitor carries an audio guide which we all found very helpful and allowed us each to look at things at our own pace. Alice was particularly keen to visit here as she has recently been studying Cromwell at school.

After leaving the museum we walked to Tesco, where we knew that there was a stop for the buses back to Little Thetford. Just as we arrived we saw one bus just passing so that meant we had an hour. We had come here in order to look for a pair of headphones but alas they were awaiting new stock. However, somehow we still managed enough items to carry on the long walk back to the boat but a pot of tea helped to pass what time remained.