Dominating the flat countryside, 'the ship of the Fens' is a splendid, and strikingly different, English cathedral. Similar to Romsey Abbey, Ely Cathedral began life as a Saxon monastery for nuns and monks until the Danish invasion in AD869 left it completely destroyed. Some 100 years later, the site was reconsecrated as a Benedictine monastery, but it wasn't until late in the 11th century that building work began on the present church, and in 1109 Ely was given cathedral status. This great feat of Norman architecture is epitomised in the 248ft (85m) long nave of the church, which has remained largely unaltered over the centuries. During Sir George Gilbert Scott's restoration programme, the floor was replaced with a Victorian pavement, and the ceilings were boarded and painted in magnificent detail
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