Visit report (Ely cathedral)

While in the area we paid our approximately annual visit to Ely cathedral, in full, according to Wikipedia, 'The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely'.

The thing that struck me most on this visit was the damage to the Lady Chapel. A chapel full of the most exuberant carving - complete with an interesting menagerie - fantastic & otherwise - but carving which had been badly damaged during the reformation. Someone had gone around knocking all the heads off all the human figures. Not smashing the whole place up, just knocking the heads off. Nevertheless. I was reminded of all the media horror when the Taliban blew up a large Buddhist statue in Afganistan - a statue which might well have been impressive & remarkable - but did not look particularly beautiful: I do not suppose the people generating the media horror remembered - or ever knew - that we were up to much the same sort of thing ourselves not that long ago. As it happens, about the same number of years after the birth of our Lord as it is now after the birth of theirs: large scale religious vandalism is clearly a feature of religious adolescence.

There was also a strong echo, so when there were no other people about - it was a quiet day - I indulged myself by testing it with my once decent tenor. Range and strength not what it used to be, but I could certainly get the echo going. I wonder what it would do to the sound of a choir?

The exuberant carving of the Lady Chapel was fully matched by the exuberant mouldings inside and outside of the various towers and transepts. Including some arches which were rectilinearly trangular rather than curvily gothic; maybe something from the traditions of the Saxon masons, an outgrowth of the pilaster strip patterning of the tower at Earls Barton. We were, after all, in the land of Hereward the Wake.

For the first time, took proper notice of the quite large amounts of coloured marble on the floors. Not sure if it was quite coloured enough to be called polychrome and the patterning was certainly not in the same league as that on the faces of buildings in Florence, never mind that under the crossing of Westminster Abbey, but striking none the less. I dare say at least some of it was quite old. I am pointed to 'Historic Floors' by Jane Fawcett, but this is unavailable, even from the redoubtable Amazon, with or without tax. An unusual name: I wonder if she is any relation of the famous faucet?

And not for the first time, reminded that churches are some of the few public places where one can sit and be quiet. And possibly warm: down and outs certainly know this last. Even to the point where we were once told that Muslims use them for their private prayers if they happen to be stuck in some mosque light part of London.

All in all, a remarkable place. Maybe we will get another visit out of our annual ticket.