Reginald Ely

The incomplete gate of the Old Schools, before 19th century reconstruction.

Reginald Ely or Reynold of Ely (fl. 1438–1471) was an English master mason working in East Anglia in the 15th century. He has been considered one of the most significant 15th century master masons for his contribution to King's College Chapel, Cambridge - one of the most prominent examples of the Perpendicular style which characterized English Gothic architecture from the 14th century onwards.

Career Reginald Ely probably came from Coltishall, near Norwich, and may have spent his early career working on projects of the Mancroft workshop in Norwich, such as the Erpingham Gate at Norwich Cathedral, Blackfriars and St Peter Mancroft. He may also have travelled to France during the English occupation of Normandy, which would explain the Flamboyant elements in his buildings.

His greatest project, and the only one which is conclusively linked to him by documentary evidence, is the chapel of King's College, part of the University of Cambridge, begun in 1446. On stylistic evidence, Francis Woodman suggests that his contribution to the chapel consisted of the overall layout, the walls of the choir up to transom height including the carved corbels to support the vault, the two eastern side-chapels on the north side, and the vault support in line with the screen on the south side. The north-east side chapel at King's College. The window on the left has asymmetrical tracery, and the lierne vault is limited to Ely's work. Asymmetrical tracery on the south side of King's College Chapel.

Style Ely's style combined the stately austerity of orthodox English Perpendicular with more fantastical elements derived from the French Flamboyant. This can especially be seen in his tracery, some of which rejects the repetitive panels of the Perpendicular for four-petalled flower patterns (later popular across East Anglia) and swirling mouchette wheels (radiating teardrop patterns), seen at French churches like St Ouen in Rouen. Therefore, it is unclear whether the building was by Ely. Its frontage to Queens' lane, with square embattled turrets, does give some sense of how Front Court at King's may have appeared if completed to the original design.