Peterborough Branch

Points of Interest: Peterborough

The city of Peterborough stands on the banks of the River Nene in the heart of Cambridgeshire, just 75 miles north of London. It has been considered a Cathedral City since the 8th or 9th Century, when Saxwulf founded a Monestary on the land.

Peterborough Cathedral, or as it’s properly known, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, was also originally a monastery and has been the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough since 1541.

Catherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots were both buried beneath the Cathedral but James I moved Queen Mary’s remains to Westminster Abbey when he became King.

With an estimated population of 214,000, Peterborough is the largest city in the county and the 27th largest in the UK. It is a city currently experiencing a period of growth as its regeneration plan has kick-started an economic boom.

However, its economy was originally founded in construction thanks to its large local clay deposits. When the first railway lines opened in the mid-1800s, it grew even further to become the city it is today.

Back in 1994, Peterborough was named as one of the UK’s four environment cities, but it now wants to better that to become the environment capital. As such, an independent charity, Peterborough Environment City Trust, has been set up to promote sustainable living.

Culture has a prime role in Peterborough, with the Key Theatre offering home-grown and local community productions as well as national touring shows. The Cresset in Bretton also provides events, such as comedy, music and dance, for both residents and tourists.

The arts and music scene is fairly prominent in Peterborough, with the Peterborough Arts Cinema situated within the new central library, and a regional magazine called Art and Soul covering gigs in the local area.

Peterborough hosts a number of events, including the Peterborough Arts Festival and CAMRA beer festival although its iconic East of England agricultural show has been cancelled after 200 years.