East Cambs is proud of its varied arts and culture scene. The exhibitions, performances, historic buildings and museums are as inspiring as anywhere in the country.
Start by indulging in a bit of Fen history and industrial archaeology with a demonstration of the earliest and finest example of a land drainage steam engine in Stretham, one of only three surviving drainage engines in East Anglia. And for a mix of engineering and history, a visit to Prickwillow Museum, which tells the story of the drainage of the Fens, will not disappoint.
Heritage and history
To further experience life through the centuries, why not try The Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey or Burwell Museum which tell the story of farming, communities and life in the Cambridgeshire Fens?
If you’re in Ely, make time for a tour of Oliver Cromwell’s House, the only surviving former Cromwell residence other than Hampton Court, which has been recreated to show how his family would have lived in the mid-17th Century.
The RAF Witchford Collection of Memorabilia is the place to be if you have an interest in WW2. This former Royal Air Force station is home to displays of photographs, records and other items from the war.
Ely holds an open heritage weekend every year, where local historical sites are open (including a variety of buildings not normally open to the public) and free to enter.
Ely Cathedral
Whether your interests are religious, historical or architectural, no visit to the city of Ely is complete without a trip to the magnificent Ely Cathedral. With its unique 14th century octagonal lantern tower and artistic beauty in wood, stone and glass throughout, it is counted among the marvels of the medieval world.
Art galleries
A walk towards the river from the cathedral will bring you to Ely’s Babylon Gallery which attracts more than 25,000 visitors a year to its art screenings, regularly changing exhibitions and programme of live events.
For art off the beaten track, Haddenham Arts Centre is becoming well known in the region as a source of interesting and unusual work by local, regional and national artists and makers.
In the south east of the district, for a fascinating look at sporting art and horseracing, The National Heritage Centre in Newmarket comprises three complementary attractions; the National Horseracing Museum, a National Art Gallery of British Sporting Art, and a chance to meet former racehorses, in the flagship yard of Retraining of Racehorses.
Something completely different......
And for something completely different, you don’t need to fly to Japan to see inside an authentic working sake brewery. In the stunning setting of the Fordham Abbey estate, this unique brewery tour is like nothing available anywhere else in the world.
There’s enough in East Cambs to satisfy any cultural itch!