Ely Place And The Reminders of A Great Medieval Palace

Ely Place, by Holborn Circus, is a charming but, at first glance, fairly standard looking Georgian terraced street. However, look a little closer and you will see that it has a fascinating history to it. There are a few hints that reveal that not all is as it seems…

Firstly, Ely Place has it’s own team of beadles that guard the entrance to the street from a small gatehouse. Secondly, it contains London’s most hidden tavern. And the final clue is the beautiful 13th century Catholic church tucked in between the houses at number 14.

So, what’s going on here?

Well, this little pocket of Holborn was, from 1290 until 1772, the London residence of the Bishops of Ely, a diocese in Cambridgeshire. In fact, until relatively recently, it was still considered to be part of Cambridgeshire, despite its central London location!

The History: Ely Palace

The land was bought in 1280 by John de Kirkby, who was appointed Bishop of Ely in 1286. When he died in 1290 he gave the land to the See of Ely. The origins of the diocese of Ely are ancient and the Bishops of Ely often held high positions within the state, meaning a London pad was a must.

When John de Kirkby died he handed over 9 cottages and a central dwelling. This was added by his successors with a palace, orchard and vineyard added in the early 14th century. The whole enclave to start with was roughly 60 acres and was enclosed by high stone walls. A large impressive gate house was added at the end of the 14th century. It was considered one of the most grand and magnificent inner city mansions in London.

The Bishops used their great wealth to host lavish events. Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon attended a feast here in 1531. It lasted for five days and involved the consumption of 100 sheep, 168 swans, 91 pigs and 51 cows… Henry VIII and Catherine apparently dined in separate rooms, perhaps a foreboding of what was to come?

The Palace is mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays and it was here that in Richard II, John de Gaunt, who was living there in 1382, says his ‘sceptred isle’ speech.

Ely Place

The land was sold to the crown in 1772, the remaining parts of the palace were pulled down and the current terraces developed by architect Sir Robert Taylor. The only remaining part of the palace is the church of St Ethelreda. The Bishop of Ely at that time commissioned a more modest house on Dover Street in Mayfair instead.

Ely Place still retains the status of separatism it had under the Bishops, being one last privately managed streets in London. A body of commissioners was set up to manage the street in 1852. They have lost many of their powers to local authorities over time but still maintain ‘watching’ duties. They shut the gates at 10pm each night from the little gatehouse at the entrance to the street (first photo).

Ely Place: St Ethelreda’s Church

St Ethelreda’s Church was established in 1290 and is the last remaining part of the palace. It is also one of only two buildings in London from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307). It is also, according to their website, the oldest Catholic Church in England (although apparently SS Leonard and Mary in Malton surpassed it in 1971 when it became a Catholic Church again).

St Ethelreda was an Anglo-Saxon queen, princess and saint who founded the monastery at Ely in 673AD.

The gardens of the church were said to have produced the finest strawberries in London and in Shakespeare’s Richard III Gloucester tells the Bishops of Ely, “My Lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there. I do beseech you, send for some of them“.

The church miraculously survived the Great Fire of London but was not so lucky during the blitz. A bomb tore a hole in the roof and destroyed the VIctorian stained glass windows. Repairs took 7 years to complete. The 13th century crypt of the church remained in tact however and you can now hire it out for events.

Ye Olde Mitre- The Hidden Tavern

Ye Olde Mitre has got to be London’s most hidden pub. You can access it either through a narrow inconspicuous alley off Ely Place or a narrow inconspicuous alleyway off Hatton Garden.

Just like Ely Place it has a fascinating history. It was originally built in 1546 for the servants of the palace, with the current building dating from 1773. It is famous for having a cherry tree that, according to urban myth, Elizabeth I and Sir Christopher Hatton (one of her favourite statesmen) danced around.

The tree is now supporting the front- you can see it in the entrance way apparently! The stone bishop’s mitre on one wall is apparently from either the old palace or the gatehouse.

Elizabeth I pressured the Bishops of Ely to lease a portion of the palace and its lands to Sir Christopher in 1577 for the building of Hatton House. He gave his name to Hatton Garden which now occupies part of this site- the famous diamond district of London.

Due to the area being part of Cambridgeshire until the late 20th century, up until recently, the pub had to go to Cambridge for their alcohol license.

You can find out more about visiting the pub here.

So there we have it! Ely Place, a rather ordinary looking London street, but, as is often the case in London, dig a little deeper and you uncover a treasure trove of fascinating history.

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