Victorian scrollwork on the West Door

Ely Cathedral

1858-65

Ely, Cambridgeshire

Other Views

• Ely Cathedral from the south-east
• West tower
• Octagon and Lantern, Lady Chapel at left
• St Catherine's Chapel, rebuilt by Scott
• The nave, looking east
• Nave Ceiling
• Ely from under the Railway Bridge, by Jospeh Pennell

Photograph, caption, and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]

One of the great beauties of the cathedral is its vaulted Galilee Porch, "an exquisite example of Early English architecture" (Carey 3). Its inner portal, however, is described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "virtually new work" by Scott — which therefore, Pevsner says rather slightingly, "need not be considered too seriously" (346). Surely this elaborate Victorian ironwork deserves a mention though. According to the cathedral handbook, the "original oaken doors" were "repaired, faced, and ornamented with scrollwork in iron" (31) during the period of Scott's restoration.

Sources

Carey, M. S. Ely Cathedral. Crawley: Pitkin, 1973.

Dutt, William A. Highways and Byways in East Anglia, with Illustrations by Joseph Pennell. London: Macmillan, 1901.

Handbook to the Cathedral Church, with Some Account of the Monastic Buildings, &c. at Ely. Ely: T. A. Hills and Son, 11th ed. 1880. Available here.

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Last modified 29 July 2008