Hidden Heights Tours
Various dates
Tickets
A brand-new Cathedral experience that will take you to the upper levels of the Cathedral never before open to the public!
This guided tour gives a unique opportunity to access Ely Cathedral’s magnificent roof spaces. You will explore its hidden heights, learn the secrets of changes over the centuries and see the oldest wooden beams in the Cathedral.
The tour starts with the ascent into the world-famous lantern of the 14th century Octagon tower. There’s then a chance to glimpse the magnificent structure of the Choir roof, before heading westwards.
You will experience the fascinating interior of the nave roof, above the famous painted ceiling. Once in the West Tower, you will visit the belfry and find out about the remaining bells and the Cathedral clock. On your descent from the tower, you get a unique, bird’s eye view of the Cathedral.
A truly memorable adventure up into the rarely seen heights of Ely’s magnificent Cathedral.
Dates and Times:
Saturdays: 2, 16 & 30 November at 4pm
* New dates added for 2025*
Saturdays: 25 January & 22nd February at 3pm
8 March & 22 March at 4pm
The tour takes around 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Tickets: £35 (minimum age for this tour is 16; 16 & 17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult). The ticket includes Cathedral admission.
Please note this tour involves:
- 190 spiral stone steps, including some steep and uneven stairs.
- Some narrow, enclosed staircases and spaces.
- Low and narrow doorways - one is just 18.5"/47cm wide.
- Passing near radio transmitters - their frequency may adversely affect heart pacemakers.
We recommend booking tickets on-line prior to your visit. Please ensure that all participants have read the Terms and Conditions as this tour may not be suitable for everyone. There is a maximum of 6 places on each tour.
Please ensure you are at the South West Transept meeting point 10 minutes before the start time. The tours begin promptly and late comers are unable to join the group once the tour is underway.
For safety reasons Tours may need to be suspended in extreme weather such as freezing ice or heavy rain. Full refunds will be given plus the option to rebook.
Mark Bradford, Hidden Heights Tour Guide
"As a Tower Guide I have had the great privilege, over numerous years, to be allowed access to explore the upper, hidden, levels of the Cathedral. As a result I have discovered some amazing, alternative views of the building, and it is now a real pleasure to be able to share these with visitors and witness their emotions as they take them in for the first time.
"The architectural history of the Cathedral has been shaped by catastrophic events, repairs, alterations and restorations, but many of the results are not readily apparent when viewed from ground level.
"However, when viewed from areas normally denied to the casual observer, significant clues to these passages in history can be revealed. It is immensely gratifying to draw our visitors' attention to one of these clues and watch their delight in the sudden understanding, as a piece of the puzzle drops into place for them."