ELY’s newly restored Old Palace will be host to a special Christmas celebration on Saturday December 8th and Ely residents are invited to join in the festivities.
As well as celebrating the re-opening of the historic building as King’s Ely’ new Sixth Form Centre, the school will be celebrating the start of the Christmas season with carols and hymns, mince pies and a touch of festive cheer. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, all proceeds from the event will go to Ely’s Highfields School.
From 11.30am until 12.30pm, the King’s Ely Chamber Choir will be singing under the Christmas tree outside the front of the Old Palace, while mince pies and refreshments are served in the building’s reception. At 12.30pm, Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Francis Young will be giving a talk on the history of the Old Palace, where visitors will be given the opportunity to see parts of the building’s recent transformation and buy copies of Francis’ fascinating new book, A History of the Bishop’s Palace at Ely: Prelates and Prisoners (£3.99).
The school took over the lease for the Old Palace from the charity Sue Ryder Care, which moved out of the 15th century building in 2010. After two years of refurbishment, the school hopes that Saturday’s festive celebration will help to restore the Old Palace’s position at the heart of the local community of Ely.
Head of King’s Ely, Sue Freestone said: “The Old Palace is a building close to the hearts of many Ely residents so I hope that those who are interested will come along on 8th to have a look at some of what we have done to bring the building back to life.”
The event will take place at the Old Palace, which is situated next to Ely Cathedral, on Saturday December 8th at 11.30am.