Clive Aslet takes a look at Ely, the beautiful and ancient city that can be seen from miles around in the Fens.
Ely is only 15 miles from Cambridge, but, even today, when the octagon of the cathedral is silhouetted against the blood-orange sunset of an immense fenland sky, it can seem remote and spooky. The 23-square-mile prominence on which the city is built made it an island until the Fens were drained by Dutch engineers in the 17th century; not for nothing did Ely…
