Peterborough

Understand

thumb | 300px | Peterborough Cathedral In Jurassic times this area was covered by a tropical sea, depositing thick layers of clay, limestone and decomposing dinosaurs. The last Ice Age (the "Devensian") didn't quite reach here but its melt-off left beds of gravel. These are just what you need for pottery, bricks and road construction, and even in Roman times there were brick works here. The land is low-lying but not too low - it's just west of the Fens, so it's fertile, and a natural route for roads and later railways. An important medieval city grew up and the cathedral was built from the 12th century. In early modern times the Fens were drained, and the 19th / 20th century saw a growth in engineering, such as Perkins the diesel manufacturers. Brickmakers continued to scoop out the local clay, and their spent pits flooded to dot the landscape with lagoons.

London is only an hour away and in the mid-20th century Peterborough grew from "overspill", as industry and workforces moved north to escape city congestion and high property prices. This was formalised in 1967 when Peterborough was designated a "New Town", one of several in that era. The old centre was left largely intact while three greenfield villages were added: Bretton, Orton and Paston; a fourth was left unbuilt. It's fair to say that these were not the sort of bucolic heart-of-England villages that Constable or Turner might have painted. But there was good employment as service industries took over from manufactur…

Get around

Local buses run from the bus station to Orton, Paston and Bretton.

There is a good cycle and footpath network. Much of the centre is pedestrianised, with a step-free route from the bus and railway stations to the main square and Cathedral.

Taxis wait at the railway station. Operators include A2B Euro Cars (), Adams (), Peterborough Taxis 247/365 (), Gold Star (), The Taxi Firm () and Peterborough Cars ().

See

Cathedral Square is the fine plaza fronting the cathedral, but what you see first is St John the Baptist, the Anglican parish church built in 1407. This was where the townsfolk prayed, while the monks descanted in the cathedral. It's a striking building in Perpendicular style but most of the interior is 19th century. Guildhall on its east side was built in 1671, an open arcaded building with a market space on the ground floor. The Castle ("Mount Thorold") was an 11th century motte-and-bailey just east of the cathedral. All you see now is the mound in the cathedral gardens. Town Hall is a redbrick cod-Georgian building of 1929 lining Bridge St just south of the cathedral gatehouse. is a National Nature Reserve, an area of woodland and grazing that's never had modern agriculture.

Do

thumb | 300px | Town Hall Cinema: Empire Cinema is within Queensgate Shopping Centre. Showcase is half a mile east, junction of Boongate with A1139. Theatre: New Theatre is on Broadway. Key Theatre is on Embankment Rd by the river. Peterborough United ("The Posh") were relegated in 2022 and now play football in League One, the third tier. Their home ground London Road (sponsored as Weston Homes Stadium), capacity 15,000, is a mile south of the railway station. Golf: nearby courses include Orton Meadows, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough Milton and Elton Furze. Fitness: Vivacity is a large gym, sports complex and swimming pool on Bishops Rd east by the playing fields. is a large event showground west of the city in Orton Southgate (turn off A1 at Oundle Rd). A few are trade-only, most are public, see their website. Speedway: Peterborough Panthers race in the SGB Premiership, the top tier of motorcycle speedway racing in Britain. Their home track is at East of England Arena.

Buy

thumb | 300px | Replica roundhouse at Flag Fen

Eat

Queensgate and Cathedral Square have The Ladz, XOXO Grill, Prezzo, Tap & Tandoor, Five Guys, Cote Brasserie, Pizza Express (Peter Boizot (1929-2018) the chain's founder lived in Peterborough), Wildwood, Middletons, Nando's, Argo Lounge and Wagamama. Broadway and Lincoln Road a block north have Berneliu Uzeiga (Lithuanian), Shah Jehan, Gurkha Durbaar and Taj Mahal.

Drink

thumb | 300px | Sacrewell watermill Others in city centre include Draper's Arms (JD Wetherspoon), Wortley Almshouses, Stoneworks, Blind Tiger, Queen's Head, Sir Henry Royce, O'Neill's, College Arms (another Wetherspoon), Bumble Inn and Ostrich Inn. Breweries: see above for Brewery Tap. Oakham Ales is southwest edge of town. Further west are Nene Valley Brewery and King's Cliffe. See Thetford for the group to the north.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Nene Valley Railway Premier Inn have four sites: City Centre (actually two miles west, junction of A47 and Nene Parkway), Peterborough North at 1023 Lincoln Rd two miles north, Hampton two miles south, and Ferry Meadows three miles west. Travelodge have three sites: Central 300 yards north of the cathedral, Eye Green on A47 five miles northeast, and Alwalton on A1 near East of England Arena. Holiday Inn Express is another off Oundle Rd near the A1 junction.

Connect

As of May 2022, Peterborough has 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from EE, O2 and Three.

Go next

Nearby Stamford is a beautifully preserved Georgian market town. A couple of miles south, Burghley House is a grand Elizabethan mansion. Ely is a charming cathedral town perched on what was once an island in the Fens. Unmissable Cambridge is 50 min further south.