Ely Cathedral

Stonework, stained glass and successive rebuilding projects give this anonymous handbook its subject. Written as a companion for visitors, it follows Ely Cathedral through its choir, aisles, chapels and surrounding monastic buildings. The opening places the cathedral within the history of the monastery founded by Etheldreda, then supplies a ground plan identifying monuments, screens and other features. Its revised edition also records the restoration work that had changed the building by 1880.

Close descriptions make the differences between architectural styles easier to recognize. Early English and Decorated work meet in the choir, where the writer compares roof ribs, marble shafts, carved foliage and the arrangement of windows. Details of stained glass connect the building's decoration with biblical scenes. For readers interested in church architecture or local history, the book offers a record of how the cathedral was explained, studied and restored in the nineteenth century.