Cambus Limited 617 (KPW 406L) at Queen Adelaide near Ely – 29 Dec 1990 (134-32)

Saturday 29 December 1990 – On a rather cold and dull morning Cambus Limited 617 (KPW 406L) crosses the River Great Ouse as it was leaving Queen Adelaide when working the 0855 service 127 from Ely to the Fenland village of Prickwillow. Service 127 only operated on Thursdays (twice outward and three time inward) and Saturdays (three trips each way). The bus is an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR that was new to Eastern Counties Omnibus Company in March 1973.

The hamlet of Queen Adelaide takes its name from a pub built when the railways reached Ely, the pub being named after Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the wife of King William IV. The main through street can be seen into the distance. In the half mile of the hamlet’s main street there are three railway level crossings (railways that fan out from Ely to Norwich (up ahead), King’s Lynn and Peterborough), a railway overbridge (over the ‘Ely avoiding loop which allows trains to travel each way from the Peterborough line to/from the Norwich line without having to enter Ely and reverse out) and the river overbridge. Quite an interesting stretch of road!

The hamlet lies within the parish of Ely Cathedral. To enable the inhabitants not to have to travel the two miles to worship a ‘Chapel of Ease’ was built in 1883 dedicated to St. Ethelreda a 7th century East Anglian Princess and Abbess of Ely. The building was deconsecrated many years ago and is now a private residence.