Cocktail Reception
The sense of history lies heavy in the Crypt of St Etheldreda’s. Its foundations date back to the 6th Century; its rough stone walls, eight foot thick in parts, and its heavy blackened beams to the 12th Century when Ely Palace was constructed above The Crypt by the Bishops of Ely as their London Bishopric.
Ely Palace was not simply a seat of religious learning, it became over the centuries an important centre of commerce for the emerging City of London – the Bishops were active in the wool trade with Flanders.
In 1531 Henry V111 and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, hosted a Grand Celebration in the Crypt of Ely Place which lasted for five full days and nights.
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