Ely Cathedral 'very proud' to be named UK's most loved building
It beat the likes of Westminster Abbey to the accolade
Last updated 22nd Jun 2023
A landmark previously coined as “one of the seven wonders of the medieval world” hopes its latest accolade will encourage more people to visit Cambridgeshire.
Ely Cathedral was crowned the UK’s most loved building following research from builders' merchant Buildworld.
The research drew upon the percentage of tweets that praised each nominated building’s architecture, with 89.3% of tweets praising the Ely building.
“We weren’t aware of the survey so it was great to see,” said Lesley-Ann Thompson, director of communications and commerce at Ely Cathedral.
“We came across it from a news feed, but we’re very pleased to see we were number one.”
The cathedral, known as the ‘Ship of the Fens’, took top spot in the list ahead of the likes of Lincoln Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral in London and Westminster Abbey.
"We hope others will see what the fuss is about"
This latest win is not the first time that one of Ely’s most notable tourist destination has been recognised nationally or internationally.
It has previously been mentioned as one of Europe’s best 100 cathedrals, and these honours hope to attract more people to the city.
“Due to the Octagon Tower and its structure, it’s often been regarded as one of the seven wonders of the medieval world, so it tends to go in and out of that category,” said Ms Thompson.
“It’s fantastic that that level of profile for any kind of building creates that attraction; it makes us feel very proud as staff and the volunteers and people who work and worship here.
“It’s a great feeling, but we hope it will encourage others to come and see what all the fuss is about.”