Oliver Cromwell’s House in Ely has been named a “hidden gem” by the national tourism agency.

The historic building was assessed under Visit England’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme and signified by the quality rose marque before being highlighted in a list of special attractions.

It is the second time that the house has won the Hidden Gem award and the assessor said it was testament to the “high standards achieved” and that the attraction “was truly deserving of recognition”.

Councillor Richard Hobbs, chairman of the commercial services committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “Oliver Cromwell’s House is a superb place to visit and fully deserves to be awarded the Visit England’s Hidden Gem award once again.

“The house is the only surviving residence of Oliver Cromwell, other than Hampton Court, and therefore is of significant historic interest.

“I am very pleased that the experts at Visit England have recognised the huge lengths that the team have gone to in order to continue to add value to the visitor’s experience.

“Tourism is vital to East Cambridgeshire and accolades such as these continue to drive our district’s reputation even higher as a key tourist destination.”

The Hidden Gem award is given to attractions across the UK which offer “innovative, interesting or unique tourist experiences”.