The Cathedral is too much encumbered by buildings to allow us to take the whole of it into view from any one position; but several good points of view may be found at moderate distances, ranging from south-west to east, which will, we think, amply repay those who may have leisure and inclination to go a short distance to observe them.
Having endeavoured to point out, to the best of our ability, the objects most worthy of notice in the Cathedral, as well as others around it within the precincts of the ancient monastery, we will add a brief notice of a few other buildings which are without the precincts, but should not be passed without some observation.
The Bishop’s Palace.
This is a large mansion consisting of a centre and two wings, nearly adjoining the west end of the Cathedral, being separated from it only by a public road. But little is known of a palace here prior to the time of Bishop Alcock, who erected the present wings with a noble hall or gallery about the end of the fifteenth century: his arms, and those of the see may be seen in the face of the eastern wing. The gallery adjoining the western wing was erected by Bishop Goodrich in the third year of the reign of Edward VI., whose arms appear in stone on the centre of the lower panels of the bay window; on the panel to the right of this are the arms of Bishop Goodrich, and on the left panel, the same arms impaling those of the see; on the left-hand splay panel is carved the "Duty towards God," and on the right-hand splay panel the "Duty towards our neighbour." The more modern part of the house next the garden is said to have been erected by Bishop Keene, but was perhaps only altered by him, as there was on the eastern side of the part projecting into the garden, a stone door arch apparently much older than this part of the house; and another on the eastern side near the chapel; this has been removed, and now forms the servants' entrance from "the Green."
The interior of the house has been much improved, and the chapel in the eastern wing fitted up with taste, the windows being filled with stained glass. The gardens are neat and kept in excellent order. There are in the Palace several portraits of bishops and others, also a curious painting called the "Tabula Eliensis" representing the forty knights who were quartered on the monastery by William I., each with his shield of arms, and a monk as his companion. There is also a picture 6 ft. 6 in. long and 2 ft. 2 in. high, representing the funeral of Bishop Cox, in 1581. Bishop Turton left by his will two pictures, to remain in the palace; and there is a good library belonging to the see.
Formerly the bishops of Ely had residences at several other places, viz., palaces at Somersham and Downham; Wisbech Castle, and the Manor-houses at Doddington, Fen Ditton, and other places in Cambridgeshire; and Hatfield, and Hadham, in Hertfordshire; there were ten manor-houses and places of residence belonging to the Bishop of Ely at the time of Bishop Barnet. The London residence of the bishops of Ely was formerly in Ely Place, Holborn, which was occupied successively by forty-one bishops, extending over a period of nearly five hundred years; it is now in Dover Street, Piccadilly, in a house built by Bishop Keene, on the site of Albemarle House and other messuages, which were purchased for the see in 1772.
The "Green" in front of the palace was formerly a piece of waste ground; a few years ago it was laid out and planted with shrubs, and fenced off with a neat iron railing, at the expense of Bishop Turton, reserving to the public the right of free admission from eight a.m., until an hour after sunset; this improvement has, we regret to say, through an unfortunate misunderstanding, been done away, and it now presents an appearance of desolation and neglect much to be deprecated. We hope something may be done in order to remedy this sad state, and render it more worthy of its position in front of one of the noblest Cathedrals in England, and of the residence of the chief pastor of a large and important diocese.
The house standing in a garden with iron gates, nearly opposite the bay window in the palace stands upon the site of the residence of the chaplains of an ancient chantry founded by Bishop Northwold, called "The Chantry on the Green."
