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The History of The Old Hall Ely

The Old Hall Ely has been in the Morbey family since the 1830’s and is currently owned by Alison Morbey.

Back in the 1500’s, it is suggested that Oliver Cromwell’s Mother was actually born at The Old Hall and lived in the house for many years, hence our Cromwell Suite’s name! There is also a rumoured tunnel running from the grounds of The Old Hall to Ely Cathedral, although it has never been found.

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Many years later, the house went into disrepair in the 1950’s and remained unoccupied until Alison and her Late Husband Anthony Morbey took on the home in 1995. The couple began renovations with the help of one builder, Bernie Francis and even named one of our bedrooms after him.

By 2002, Alison and Anthony moved in to The Old Hall with their four children; Annabel, Alex, Alastair and Antonia, making it their family home for many years. The home still includes many personal touches, including the family crest above our main entrance, meaning “The land will remain.”

Alison and Anthony transformed their home to a Bed and Breakfast in 2009 and offered a personal, welcoming experience for their guests.

Weddings came into action at The Old Hall in 2012 as the house became a stunning wedding venue and Alex Morbey worked with her parents to run the business, with a background in Events Management.

Antonia Morbey, joined in 2019 after her sister had left on her own venture and still remains at The Old Hall Ely alongside her mother. Today, The Old Hall has flourished into an award-winning Wedding Venue, Corporate Events Venue, hotel and restaurant offering excellent service to all guests. Our team is a talented, diverse family and elevations to the building continue, with exciting projects ahead!

Corporate at The Old Hall Ely

The Old Hall Ely is the perfect venue for corporate needs. From corporate away days, exclusive meeting rooms, corporate Christmas parties and events and everything in between, our country manor house in Cambridgeshire, makes for the perfect event. With on-site parking, high speed Wi-Fi, accommodation & catering, equipment for hire, and a team of dedicated Event Managers, your event will go off without a hitch.

We offer a range of corporate experiences whether you are looking for; Exclusive Use of our House and Grounds with On-Site Catering, Incredible Filming and Photography Locations, Team Building Exercises, Venues for Conferences and Meetings or larger corporate events and parties.

The Orangery

A fantastic, open space with panoramic views over our gardens, lakes and Ely Cathedral. This multi-functional space was opened in Summer 2022, and boasts floor to ceiling glass, a fireplace, and multiple garden terraces. The Orangery is perfect throughout the day, transforming from a warm and collaborative environment to a glorious space for an evening event at night.

The Terrace Room

This space is the perfect meeting room for a more private, intimate feel. Ideal for a boardroom-style presentation, this space has sophisticated interiors and its doors open onto The Topiary Courtyard and is perfect throughout the day as a meeting room as well as being well suited for a private dining experience.

The Sitting Room

With a calming and cosy setting, The Sitting Room is ideal for long meetings or private working lunches. Boasting a large fire place, antiques and classic English Country Design, this room is simply stunning. With the feeling of being at home in the warmth of The Sitting Room, this is the room that you will wish to return to for multiple, meetings, interviews and away days with a few of your clients.

The Marquee

The Marquee has a grand feeling, with immense views of our grounds and stunning interiors this area is perfect for large scale events. This permanent marquee boasts floor to ceiling glass, a fully-equipped bar, and an adjoining ‘secret’ dance floor with starlit ceilings and a stage. What really sets our marquee apart from the standard, is the excellent views and luxury feel it creates.

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To Enquire about our corporate offerings and learn more click here. 

Valentine’s Experiences

We are the most romantic place to have a Valentine’s dinner and we believe to offer the best hotel stays in Cambridgeshire, especially for couples! Visit The Old Hall Ely for an unforgettable romantic experience with our valentine’s packages, including our set menu of fine dining or elevate your visit with a hotel stay. Our luxury hotel near Cambridge is ideal for Valentine’s or any romantic celebrations such as anniversaries.

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To celebrate Valentine’s in 2024, we are offering both a Valentine’s set menu as well as a package offer with a luxury hotel stay included. Enjoy a romantic evening starting with an organic glass of Cava fireside, followed by a stunning three-Course Valentine’s set menu. Spend some quality time together in our fine dining restaurant, The Orangery. We are the only venue to offer such fantastic views of Ely Cathedral, creating the perfect setting for a romantic getaway for two.

Our Valentine’s set menu has been carefully curated by our team of talented in-house chefs and includes a fresh, local produce. To start, choose between smoked Duck carpaccio, steamed mussels or Crayfish, apple and heritage cherry tomato salad. Enjoy our stunning main courses including 35oz Picanha steak to share for two, seared fillet of Turbot and seared Cornish cod.

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We offer adults only hotel stays and fine dining in the Fens. With 16 luxury guest rooms, stays with us are always peaceful and come with that personal touch. Upgrade to our Valentine’s hotel package to add a one-night stay and a hot breakfast with us. We have our classic, deluxe or suite packages available, enquire now to book your space!

Festive Celebrations at The Old Hall Ely

For Festive Dinners and Christmas parties in Cambridgeshire, The Old Hall Ely is the perfect venue. Only available in December, our festive set menu is carefully crafted by our talented team of chefs. If you’re thinking, where is the best festive set menu near me? The Orangery Restaurant at The Old Hall Ely is the place to go!

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Using the finest local and seasonal ingredients, you and your loved ones are sure to have an amazing dining experience with us. Whether you are looking for an intimate dinner in our restaurant, overlooking Ely Cathedral or an all-out party in our marquee, enquire today to book your place!

We have an excellent set menu on the 6th, 13th and 20th of December. This consists of classics such as pork belly and roast turkey but also elevates the fine dining experience with exciting dishes including ceviche sea bass and roasted hake fillet. End your evening with a tempting treat with puddings including dark chocolate and raspberry delice.

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As well as our fine dining experiences, we also have a one-off event due to high demand, our festive dining experience on the 14th of December! This event is a lunch and dinner sitting of this excellent menu, with beautiful Christmas decorations, Christmas crackers are festivities. The perfect event for corporate Christmas celebrations that are more relaxed and informal than our black-tie parties as well as for families and friends to gather before the holidays commence.

Festive dining

Our Christmas parties are always a sellout, with our grand marquee and entertainment these events are truly spectacular. Likewise, our New Years Eve parties are sure to leave our guests heading into the new year the right way with sophisticated vibes all round!

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At the Old Hall Ely, we also organize private and exclusive Christmas parties for businesses where you can organize a unique event for your team.

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Contact us today to book your festive celebrations with us.

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Sunday Lunch at The Old Hall Ely

At The Old Hall Ely, as well as our luxury hotel and wedding venue, we have a stunning fine dining restaurant, The Orangery. The Orangery restaurant provides the perfect setting to escape everyday life. With floor to ceiling windows, skylights, and bifold doors looking out over stunning views of the lakes and Ely Cathedral, diners can appreciate the restaurant’s interior design and welcoming atmosphere – all guaranteeing an unforgettable experience. Our talented chefs put a spin on classic British cuisine, always using ingredients from independent local butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers. If you’re looking for fine dining restaurants in Ely, near Cambridgeshire with quality food, The Orangery is a great choice. From the best afternoon tea options to our stunning Sunday lunches, we do really offer it all. Our Sunday lunch options are varied, filling and refined, often referred to as the best in Cambridgeshire!

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Our Sunday lunches are held in The Orangery, between midday and 4pm and we have options for vegetarian Sunday lunch as well as all dietary requirements. Starting off with a look into our first course options, soup of the day is a classic British favourite as well as roasted butternut squash and sage salad. Make a difficult decision between chicken liver parfait or our beautiful smoked haddock fishcake before diving in to your main course. 

For mains, our perfected Sunday lunch menu is truly unique. Our classic British roast dinner options such as roast Blythbourgh leg of pork, free range roast chicken or roast sirloin of Hereford beef are definitely the most popular choice. All served with Yorkshire puddings, duck fat roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and baked cheesy leeks and gravy. If a roast dinner isn’t something that you fancy, our varied options are for you! From baked fillet of plaice to wild mushroom and spinach rigatoni, these dishes are sure to hit the spot.

Roast dinner ely

After indulging in a feast of flavour why not treat yourself to a tasty dessert? Our stunning chocolate, almond and brioche pudding with crème anglaise is a family favourite and is sure to cure that sweet craving after a delicious lunch. It is difficult to decide between apple tart tatin, kirsch-soaked chocolate sponge, dark chocolate and cherry ice cream or steamed treacle sponge with a cinnamon biscuit ice cream, so why not share between your group and taste all of our sweet treats? To accompany your dessert and extend that quality time with your loved ones, enjoy a warming coffee or opt in for the fourth course of cheeses!

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As well as our delicious Sunday lunches, we also offer a wide range of dining experiences in The Orangery. Starting with breakfast, our famous traditional full English “The Cambridge” is our most popular dish on our breakfast menu, with Cumberland pork sausage, back bacon and more! Our chefs also create beautiful dishes such as eggs benedict, eggs royal and sweet waffles.

Our Sparkling afternoon tea sittings are my personal favourite due to the stunning setting you can enjoy this sophisticated treat! Overlooking Ely Cathedral, you can enjoy a selection of sandwiches on homemade bread, a range of scones, sweet treats such as macarons and our family recipe carrot cake whilst sipping on organic cava or tea and coffee.

Charcuterie Dinners are a big hit for our hotel guests who can enjoy a delightful board of meats and cheeses whilst unwinding by one of our open fires. A glass of red goes down a treat with our charcuterie boards and they are perfect for an early meal after work.

Why Attend a Wedding Open Day at The Old Hall Ely

The Old Hall Ely Wedding Open Days and Evenings are not events you’d want to miss and are arguably the best Wedding Fairs in Cambridgeshire! Our team work hard to pull these spectacular days together and to ensure that our lucky guests can meet the top suppliers in East Anglia. From cake makers to bridal boutiques and live entertainment, we really do pull out all the stops! As well as the range of fantastic suppliers who will be attending, our dedicated team are always on hand to answer any questions about our amazing venue and give in depth tours of our house and grounds.  

Our next Open Day is approaching and we can’t wait to welcome all of the excited couples! On the Third of December, from 12pm to 5pm The Old Hall is open to all, no prebooking required. Our Venue shines brightest in the winter season, so this winter wedding open day will be particularly spectacular with sparkling lights and festive decorations. Just outside of Cambridge, The Old Hall Ely is the perfect wedding venue and is simple to get to.

Gather your friends and family and get ready for a day of winter wedding inspiration! From wedding flower inspiration, to wedding cake décor, our team and suppliers will be here to help. Come and see our wedding venue in full swing and enjoy complimentary Canapés and a Glass of Organic Cava whilst interacting with our fantastic team. Tour our bedrooms and house and get inspired by live entertainment!

We can’t wait to see everyone there, no need to book!

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