When visiting any links on this page they will open up in new windows.
To stop our page music just lower the  page or press  the red x button on your browser

Hi there,


You have come to the page which will tell you a little bit
about the place we live in.
Click the pictures to see the links relating


Peterborough is situated in Cambridgeshire, East Anglia. United Kingdom.

Peterborough's Coat of Arms
Click on the picture takes you to some places of interest in Peterborough.

Peterborough (England)  city in  Cambridgeshire, known for
hundreds of years as Medehampstede, Eastern England, on the
river Nene.  Peterborough is  famous for its history and its
historic buildings and is very close to the historic town of
Stamford, which is one of the five viking towns.  Also  perhaps
more famous Burghley House.

Peterborough owes much of its origins to the monastery
founded in 655 A.D by Paeda, The King of Mercia. Over several
centuries the town has developed around the monastery, which
later became the present Cathedral and only really started to
develop from a small market town into a large city in the last 100
years or so.

The first real development and expansion Peterborough under
took was when the Great Northern Railway established their
works at New England, a village north of Peterborough, in 1853.

In 1967, the British government decided that Peterborough
should help to relieve some of London's housing problems.
This proposal led to the birth of the Peterborough Development
Corporation in 1968. The Development corporation can really
take a lot of the credit for blending many of Peterborough's old
and historic features with the many new housing and industrial
areas. Also the development of the City's roads and excellent
Parkways that all local people take for granted.

Peterborough's biggest change was the development of the
Queensgate Shopping Centre, an indoor shopping mall that had
never been seen in a small city before like Peterborough at a
cost of nearly £60 million pounds in 1982..

Over the last 20 years Peterborough has developed from a fairly
small City surrounded by smaller villages into a major
developing City. Major businesses are attracted to
Peterborough due to its great open spaces and attractive
industrial zones. World wide companies  all have head offices
located in this ever developing city.

In recent years Peterborough's growth has been quite
phenomenal but careful planning has blended historic features
with modern up to date facilities. This can clearly be seen when
visiting the Town centre, at the heart of the city is The Cathedral.

The 12th century Cathedral stands right in the middle of
Peterborough town centre. It is quite breathtaking as you walk
under the arches and come to the west face of one of the tallest
buildings standing in Peterborough, which is clearly visible from
most roads leading into Peterborough.

Peterborough Cathedral is perhaps one of the most magnificent
Norman cathedrals in England, the great cathedral church of St
Peter, St Paul, and St Andrew, which, previous to the
establishment of the see in 1541, had served one of the richest
Benedictine abbeys in England. (The abbey, founded in the 7th
century, was destroyed by the Danes in 870 and not re-
established until 972.)

The first Norman church was devastated by fire in 1116.
Externally squat, the cathedral that superseded it is internally
splendid and largely 12th century in date. The nave retains its
original wooden boarded ceiling, richly painted with a pattern of
lozenges enclosing various motifs, among them figures of
kings, queens, and saints.

The west front was added in the early 13th century in Gothic
style; it is compromised by a late 14th-century wooden porch.
The fan-vaulted "New Building" at the east end dates from c.
1496-1508-Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, lies
buried here. Mary, Queen of Scots was also interred at
Peterborough after being beheaded at Fotheringhay, which is
just a few miles up the road, but was later reburied in
Westminster Abbey by her son, James I.
Virtually nothing of the monastic complex survived the
Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1540).

The Victorian architect J. L. Pearson carried out an inspired
restoration which included the rebuilding of the collapsing
central tower and the installation of splendid fittings.

The Nene Valley Railway has probably been seen by millions of
people world wide as this famous railway line has been used on
several occasions for Films including James Bonds's
"Octopussy " and television shows world wide.  James Bond
was seen hanging and running along the roof of one of the
historic steam locomotives. Thomas The Tank Engine events
are put on throughout the year.

Nene Valley railway is situated along the Nene Country Park ,
giving you beautiful views of the Ferry Meadows and the river
Nene and the Thorpe meadows golf coarse.

Around Christmas time one of the Steam Locomotives and
carriages gets special treatment and becomes "The Santa
Claus" especially  loved by children from all over the
Cambridgeshire area.

The main station is situated in Wansford a charismatic village
near to Peterborough, the various steam trains and carriages
are from all over Europe and run on over 7 miles of track
taking you from Wansford to the heart of Peterborough.

Regular steam and diesel trains operate over this line to
Peterborough, a round trip of 15 miles.

Nene park is only 4 miles west from the City centre, yet when
you arrive it is quite hard to imagine that you could be possibly
quite so close. The park has several attraction's including 3
large lakes, where a variety of water sports take place from
sailing to wind-surfing and even canoeing.

The water sports centre has bar and restaurant facilities over
looking the main Gunwade lake. The park plays host to various
wild fowl and close by special hides have been provided to over
look parts of the Nene River.

Throughout the park various activity areas for children have
been provided and there is a nature centre and cafe. Situated
on the park site is the Caravan Club where visitors who require
a longer stay are most welcome.

The park also has 2 eighteen hole pay and play golf courses.

Anglers are more than welcome to sample the lakes and rivers
excellent sport and facilities have been provide for people
in wheel chairs.

Queensgate Shopping Centre is owned by Norwich Union and
was opened in l982.  It is a completely covered Centre
which has two shopping levels.   

Queensgate plays home to over l00 stores, some  of them are
huge department stores, down to the small unusual shops.

It has its own on-site car parking and has direct access from the
City's train and bus stations.  It is open 7 days a week and offers
free "Shop-Mobility".  Its amongst the first Centre to offer the
loan of wheelchairs and escorts for people with disabilities.

Queensgate has  tree-lined malls which are bright spacious
squares, in which you'll find dozens of interesting shops to
explore. Fountains and mirror glass, stainless steel and polished
marble make the whole place bright and exciting.

Queensgate has   sophisticated temperature control system ensures
you'll be relaxed and comfortable in Queensgate, no matter what
the weather is like outside. It's warm and dry in winter,
pleasantly cool in summer.

The show-ground is one of the largest outdoor exhibition
centres in the area and only 1 mile from the Nene Park, shows
are held through out the year. One of the many attractions is
Truck -Fest and also The East of England Agricultural show.
The Show-ground also plays host to the Peterborough Panthers
speedway and events are held midweek and most Friday evenings.
There is  also an excellent Golf driving range and pitch and putt
course which is  located on the site and opens 7 days a week.

Close by to the city centre is the site of Flag Fen situated in
 Fengate Peterborough.



A bronze age farm dating back to 1000 BC

The Archaeology park has a host of attractions from The Visitor
Centre and Museum to a Iron age roundhouse. At the Bronze
age farm you can see family living quarters, primitive domestic
animals. Giving you a real feel of what life was like for the
people from the Bronze Age.

In the Archaeology Park you can see a real Roman Road with
its original surface intact, Bronze age timber the only
excavation in Europe to have been uncovered.

Burghley House (Stamford) The palatia mansion was built
between 1565 and 1587 by William Cecil, chief minister to
Elizabeth 1 and still the home of his family.

The exterior is Tudor at it's best, whilst the rooms inside are
largely baroque, with wonderful frescoes by Antonio Verrio, the
Heaven room is amazing and features floor-to-ceiling gods and
goddesses.

18 State rooms on show which includes a fine art collection
housed in splendid surroundings with decorated fireplaces.

There is a fine collection of Japanese ceramics and some
notable paintings by Gainsborough and Brueghel.

Queen Victoria stayed here, you can see the four poster
bed she slept in.



The grounds which were landscaped by Capability Brown is
where the Burghley Horse Trials are held.