Ely Museum Information
Contact Information
Ely Museum,
The Old Gaol, Market Street,
Ely, Cambridgeshire,
CB7 4LS
Curator: Elie Hughes
[T] 01353 666655
[F] 01353 659259
Summer Opening Times
Monday — Saturday
10.30am — 5.00pm
Sunday 1.00pm — 5.00pm
Winter Opening Times
Monday — Saturday*
10.30am — 4.00pm
Sunday 1.00pm — 4.00pm
*closed on Tuesdays except for school and group bookings
Admission Charges
Adults £3.00
Concessions £2.50
Accompanied children FREE
Ely Shopmobility
Shopmobility is a scheme to provide electrically powered scooters to help people who have limited mobility to shop and use other facilities in Ely.
Continued »
Gallery 3: Romans and Saxons
Anglo Saxon Gold Ring
In the end the Romans contained the fenland rather than conquering it. The people of Ely would undoubtedly have been involved in the great Iceni rebellion led by Boudica in 60 AD but the fens were a bit too much for the Romans to bother with – they saw little profit to be gained from such land. A small failed town at Stonea was an administrative centre rather than a military stronghold. A copy of a fine Roman helmet found at Witcham may be seen elsewhere in the museum. The pottery and tiles you see on display are, however, the best evidence we have of the Pax Romana.
After the Romans had gone (circa 420 AD) the Angles and Saxons moved in to fill the vacuum. These may have been the first to have a permanent settlement on the island rather than the fen edge at Cratendune just south of the modern city. It is in the age of the Saxons that Ely starts its journey towards its present nobility. Etheldreda; Saxon Princess and Queen, became the first Abbess of Ely after two spectacular marriages and some exciting adventures. It was she who found the first monastic house in Ely over 1,300 years ago. It was this foundation which led directly to the creation of Ely's greatest gem, and surely one of Europe's — the Cathedral!