By bmlee18
Ely. This small English city not too far from Cambridge probably doesn't strike you as familiar. I know that for me, I was so unfamiliar with Ely that I (and some of the other visiting students whom I went on the trip with) had trouble deciding how to even pronounce its name, only being sure of myself when I finally found myself within the city grounds. I wasn't really sure of what to expect from this city that I had never heard of before, but perhaps this lack of expectations and knowledge was precisely what allowed me to be so astounded by the beauty of the place.
Now, I know that there are some unbelievably amazing architecture throughout the UK. Cambridge, my host city, alone features some of the most remarkable structures dating back to hundreds of years before America's founding. King's College Chapel, built in the 1400s, stands as one of the finest examples of Gothic English architecture, and I have the great privilege of walking past (and gaping at) the beautiful church everyday. As much as I was fascinated by King's College Chapel and other buildings throughout England, my visit to Ely Cathedral left me utterly speechless - especially after a tour of the Cathedral's Octagon Tower.
I am by no means an expert on architecture, although I did have a brief phase as a fourth grader when I was an avid viewer of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and wanted to be a cool carpenter building homes for others like the show's personalities. However, I know when to be marvelled at a great feat of architectural design and engineering - and Ely Cathedral was precisely this.
First of all, to see such a massive cathedral at the centre of a small town astounded me. The Cathedral was really the beating heart of Ely, and it was clear that around this place of worship, shops began to open and homes were constructed. Once I walked past the heavy wooden doors of the church, I was dazzled by the beautiful design of the walls and the stained glasses. But the true highlight of my visit was the tour of the Octagon Tower. To reach the tower, we took a set of spiral staircases - quite steep and dizzying - to reach the roof of the transept. From here, we had the most remarkable view of the city and the river, and despite the cold wind striking our faces, we could only stand gawking as we stood between the cathedral chancel and the Lady Chapel.
From here, we entered a very tiny door to climb another claustrophobic spiral staircase, eventually to reach the top of the Octagon Tower, which is primarily supported by eight oak beams. Our guide told us that some of the oak beams were over 1000 years old, which was both fascinating, but also a bit frightening (since I was elevated hundreds of feet above ground by a millennium-old plank of wood). While the original tower had collapsed vertically due to poor foundation, medieval engineers took up the challenge of building the currently standing Octagon Tower, filling the void left by the destruction. Over time, the newly constructed Octagon Tower went through stages of neglect (during the Reformation when cathedrals were stripped) and renovation (quite recently when a myriad of wooden pillars and planks were added to support the original eight beams).
The climax was when our guide opened the shutters at the centre of where we were standing. Each of the shutters had drawings of Victorian angels, each playing a musical instrument. By looking out of these shutters, we could also see all the way down to the ground floor (rather scary), as well as all the way to the ceiling, on which there was a magnificent artwork of Christ. We were informed that the monks would look up at the image of Christ during their services - and I could completely fathom how they would be inspired to worship, energised by the beauty around them.
To conclude our day, we had afternoon tea (who doesn't love a good cup of tea and a buttery scone?) at this small, but lively shop that looked like an English grandmother's living room. Ely was a quaint city of many surprises, allowing me to better understand England's long and fascinating history.