16 Waterside, Ely

History of 16 Waterside, Ely

Recollections of Old Ely, Audrey Denton, describes how stones intended for the building of Ely Cathedral were buried in what was a swamp at the bottom of Waterside for about two years, by which time they were impregnated with water and were soft enough to carve. Much later, large stones could be dug up in Waterside. These were stones that had been practised on by apprentices and were not of a high enough standard to be used in construction. One of these is set in the brickwork at no.16