The cathedral city of Ely lies in the Fenlands, in the eastern part of Cambridgeshire. It was the stronghold of Hereward the Wake in his wars against William I. Until the draining of the Fens during the seventeenth century, Ely was an island; and a major port on the Great Ouse until the coming of the age of rail. The present Cathedral, which dominates the skyline for miles around, was started in 1083 and finally completed in 1351.