Ely Place is a gated road in the London Borough of Camden in London, England (postal district EC1). It is named after the former London residence of the Bishops of Ely, known as Ely Place or Ely House, which stood on the site from around 1290 until 1772. In medieval times, bishops of Ely frequently held high state office requiring them to live in London. There are references to Ely Palace grounds in Shakespeare’s plays. It was at the house that the Bard had John of Gaunt – who was living there in 1382 – say his "This royal throne of Kings, this sceptre’d isle" speech. St Etheldreda's Church in Ely Place is the former private chapel of the Bishops of Ely. It is still standing today, and is the only surviving building in London from the reign of Edward I (1239–1307) though it was badly damaged during the last war. St Etheldreda, a seventh-century queen and nun, was the saint in whose name Ely Cathedral was founded. The gardens of St Etheldreda were said to produce the finest strawberries in London and a Strawberry Fayre is held here every June. In Shakespeare’s Richard III, Gloucester tells the Bishop 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". To the West of Ely Place are the Old Mitre Tavern and Hatton Garden, to the East is Farringdon Road and to the South is Holborn Circus. The nearest underground stations are Farringdon to the North-East and Chancery Lane to the West.
External links
- LondonTown.com information
- Ely Place Chambers, 30 Ely Place
