We set off on our journey to Ely a little later than we had intended which, as well as the travel taking longer than expected, led us to change our plans and not pay a short visit  visit to Cambridge. Instead we broke our journey for lunch in Market Harborough. Being a Sunday the nice tea shop had we enjoyed on our previous visit was not open so instead we settled for a sandwich in Greggs. Amply replete, we headed straight to Ely and checked into Peacocks B&B.

When we arrived at Peacocks tea room, which has rooms above, we were served with complimentary drinks and cake. I chose elderflower water and lemon and lavender cake, which was delicious. We were provided with a local map and shown where to find the local attractions.

We were then taken to the side access (which avoids walking through the teashop) and to our mini suite. The rooms were fabulous with a generous seating area, a bathroom with a roll top bath and a shower. In amongst it all, there were several bookcases full of books. My kind of heaven.

Rather than unpacking straight away we headed into Ely to make the best of the afternoon. As Mr C was moving his car into a non-restricted area, I stood and looked out over the river Ouse. A lady came a stood nearby and told me to mind my handbag. She then told me that she had been mugged and other various woes. All the while she was taking sideways glances at a couple of young men nearby and advising that Ely looks nice but it isn’t what it used to be. She then apologised for wearing dark glasses explaining that she had something wrong with her eyes that made them sensitive to bright light.

We took a walk along the river, through the Jubilee Gardens, past the Cathedral and then on to look for the two restaurants that we had pre-booked for evening meals. As luck would have it they were opposite each other. Just as we had located the second restaurant a voice piped up, “I am not following you”. It was the lady I had encountered just outside the B&B, this time without sunglasses and about to get in her car.

We returned to the B&B pausing to browse in Toppings along the way. Toppings has got to be the best bookshop I have ever visited. We spent some time relaxing in our rooms before making our way to The Poets House for dinner. I chose black seabream followed by pressed apple and elderberry sorbet. An elderly lady nearby was struggling with her menu choices. The first dish went back because it wasn’t piping hot and she opted for a different dish which, as it happened, was the seabream. When this arrived she didn’t like the way the meal was served. After our meal we stopped off in the Drayman’s pub before returning to the B&B for a nightcap.

The parish church of St Dionysius, begun around 1300 as a chapelry of Great Bowden, was planned to be very much part of the townscape, with a central position in its own square, opening out directly onto the street with no space for a churchyard. It was intended to be sight worthy of its setting, and few would deny the success of this scheme. Its fine tower and broach spire rising to 154 feet dominate the landscape and have done so for 700 years.*

[St Dionysius] Parish Church originally built as a Chapel of St Mary in Arden (qv) during the earlier part of the C13. Architectural features of present church mainly C14 and C15. The town is dominated by the early C14 grey ashlar tower with its fine crocketed brooch spire. Rest of church in coursed sandstone rubble with crenellated parapet. Buttresses. Nave and Chancel with Clerestory windows, Aisles and North and South Porches. Crocketed cross as finial at east end of both Nave and Chancel. South face of tower has large sundial. Inside, galleries of 1836 remain. Fine achievement of Royal Arms of 1660 at West end. Good C15 timber roof was restored, in same style, in 1954. Fragments of medieval wall painting discovered in 1959 at east end of North Aisle. The Church of St Dionysius is a prominent feature of many near and distant views of the town.

*Market Harborough Parish Church – St Dyonisus A Brief History by Geoffrey K. Brandwood and David Johnson.

The timber portion of this building was erected in 1614 by Robert Smyth. It was set upon posts “to keepe the market people drye in tyme of foule wether”. The brick portion was added in 1868 and the building was restored by public subscription in 1978.*

*from a signboard next to the building