I have been playing with the same filter I used for last week’s Friday Foto. This is a picture of Ely Cathedral as a negative black and white image. I remember as a youngster how often I would hold strips of negatives up to the light; it’s an effect I like.

I took this photograph in the Lady Chapel in Ely Cathedral. I find the contrast between the beautiful flower arrangement and the damage wrought by the reformers is quite moving, and a stark reminder of what we’re capable of when things go wrong in the name of religion.

This is a picture of the more visible pipes, there are a lot more behind the stone arch to the left of this, that make up the organ in Ely Cathedral. It’s a super instrument, with a quite wonderful sound. If you would like to know more about this organ, please have a look at the Ely Cathedral website here.

This is a picture of the altar in the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral. Behind the altar you can see the remains of what, I imagine, would have been a truly magnificent reredos. But this, like the rest of the statuary and decoration in the chapel, was destroyed in the sixteenth century during the Reformation — which, in keeping with Puritan convictions, rejected all forms of religious decoration. It must have looked very different in there when the Lady Chapel was completed in 1349.

Friday Foto

Looking down the barrel of a gun! This is a picture of the canon on Palace Green in Ely, with the Cathedral in the background. The canon was originally captured from the Russians in Sebastopol. It was given to Ely by Queen Victoria in 1860 and has stood on Palace Green ever since.

Friday Foto

Here is another picture of Ely Cathedral from amongst my collection of recent photographs. This one shows the east end of the Cathedral. It’s a view which I often miss, probably because the main entrance is at the west end, and I usually park nearer that end. Last time we were in Ely we deliberately parked in a different car park.

Friday Foto

Here is a picture of Ely Cathedral from amongst my collection of recent photographs. It’s taken from down the hill on the eastern side of the cathedral. You can just see the top of the Octagon.

Friday Foto

Here is another picture from my recent trip to Ely Cathedral, this time an interior view. This is a picture of the High Altar in the Cathedral. The picture was taken from in The Choir and shows the bottom section of the magnificent east window behind the altar.

There is a great deal to see at the Cathedral, and I could happily spend many days there, just soaking up the atmosphere. It has to be said, though, it wasn’t built with the needs of an middle-aged chap and his little digital camera in mind — I can’t think why!

Friday Foto

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a few hours in Ely this week; and managed to get some photographs of the Cathedral that I was pleased with. The view pictured below is one I haven’t seen in the day time before — having usually forgotten about walking around the north side of the Cathedral.

Incidentally, this picture is Friday Foto number fifty-two — a full year’s worth of weekly pictures. I’m really pleased that I’ve kept it going, and hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve offered, and will continue to offer.

Friday Foto

This is another photograph from Ely Cathedral. It’s one of the statues on the side of the magnificent stone pulpit. I would imagine it must be quite daunting, but also a great pleasure, to preach a sermon from that pulpit.

All being well, I’ll be at the Cathedral tomorrow. Our curate is to be priested at the ordination service taking place. I’m really looking forward to supporting Mary as she takes this next step in her ministry.