Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles
(23 km) north-north-east of Cambridge and about 80 miles (129 km) by
road from London. Æthelthryth (Etheldreda) founded an abbey at Ely in
AD 673; the abbey was destroyed in 870 by Danish invaders and was rebuilt
by Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, in 970. Construction of the cathedral was
started in 1083 by the first Norman bishop, Simeon. Alan of Walsingham's octagon,
built over Ely's nave crossing between 1322 and 1328, is the "greatest
individual achievement of architectural genius at Ely Cathedral",
according to
