Ely Museum

The story of the Isle of Ely and its people, presented in the city’s historic gaol through archaeology, objects and interactive displays.

Ely Museum occupies the city’s former gaol, a building with a story of its own. The collections follow the Isle of Ely from its earliest landscapes and settlements through the lives of people who worked, traded and lived in the Fens. Archaeological finds and local objects help explain why Ely developed on a raised island amid wet ground. It is a good introduction before exploring the cathedral, riverside and surrounding villages, giving those places a longer historical context and a stronger sense of their connections.