Yesterday evening I spoke on the subject of ‘The History and Development of the Bishop’s Palace, Ely: 1486-1781’ to a packed gathering of the members of the Ely Society and other visitors in Ely Museum’s Vernon Cross Room. The publication of my book on the Palace was publicized last Thursday in the Ely Weekly News, and attendance was apparently higher than it has been at a meeting of the Society for some years.
My talk offered some new ideas on the possible original ground plan of Bishop Alcock’s Palace, built in 1486, together with the evidence that might support them, and described the architectural history of the Palace in four stages: Bishop Alcock’s Palace (1486-1549), Bishop Goodrich’s Palace (1549-1667), Bishop Laney’s Palace (1667-1771) and Bishop Keene’s Palace (1771 to the present day). A number of members of the audience had interesting contributions to make concerning the Palace’s more recent history.
Last week my book on the Palace topped the ‘bestseller’ list at Topping and Co.
Francis Young 