In 1954, architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote "as one approaches Ely on foot or on a bicycle, or perhaps in an open car, the cathedral dominates the picture for miles around ... and offers from everywhere an outline different from that of any other English cathedral".
Geograf John Jones je leta 1924 poročal, da "se s strehe King's Chapel v Cambridgeu, na jasen dan, na obzorju vidi katedrala v Elyu, 26 km oddaljena, kot izraz ploskosti nizkega barja".