Geolocate

Ely topographic map

Interactive map

Click on the map to display elevation.

About this map

Name: Ely topographic map, elevation, terrain.

Location: Ely, Queen Adelaide, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, East of England, England, United Kingdom (52.36345 0.21794 52.44029 0.42533)

Average elevation: 3 m

Minimum elevation: -5 m

Maximum elevation: 29 m

For over 800 years the cathedral and its associated buildings—built on an elevation 68 feet (21 m) above the nearby fens—have visually influenced the city and its surrounding area. Geographer John Jones, writing in 1924, reports that "from the roof of King's Chapel in Cambridge, on a clear day, Ely can be seen on the horizon, 16 miles (26 km) distant, an expression of the flatness of the fens". In 1954, architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote "as one approaches Ely on foot or on a bicycle, or perhaps in an open car, the cathedral dominates the picture for miles around ... and offers from everywhere an outline different from that of any other English cathedral". Local historian Pamela Blakeman reports a claim that "Grouped around ... is the largest collection of medieval buildings still in daily use in this country".