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Ely Cathedral's claustral buildings are a series of monastic structures that formed the domestic and administrative heart of the cathedral priory. Dating primarily from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, these buildings were constructed around the cloister garth and include the chapter house, refectory, kitchens, and residential ranges typical of a major Benedictine establishment. The surviving structures demonstrate the architectural standards and spatial organisation of a high-status monastic precinct, with the cloister walk and associated buildings positioned to the south of the cathedral church. These claustral ranges represent an important aspect of Ely's significance as one of England's greatest monastic foundations, where the physical arrangement of working and living spaces reflects the communal life and hierarchy of the cathedral monastery before the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century.
Ely Cathedral: claustral buildings is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006899. View the official record →
Ely Cathedral's claustral buildings are a series of monastic structures that formed the domestic and administrative heart of the cathedral priory. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006899.
Ely Cathedral: claustral buildings is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006899.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including 'Cherry Hill', castle mound (0.3 km), Hospital of St John the Baptist and St Mary Magdalene, St John's Farm (0.6 km), Roman site near Old Fordey Farm, Barway (5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Ely Cathedral: claustral buildings's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Ely Cathedral: claustral buildings stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.