Peterborough

Peterborough is a city in Cambridgeshire in East Anglia, with a population of 202,259 in 2019. It's industrial and ringed by bland "New Town" residential districts, yet has an attractive historic centre around its cathedral, where two British monarchs were buried.

Understand
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 manufacturing, the architecture was bland rather than brutal, and they've fared better than some of the other "New Towns".
 * Visit Peterborough website

By road
From London take A1(M) northwards. From Cambridge, take A14 northeast onto A1(M).

By rail


Peterborough is on the East Coast Mainline and has four trains an hour from London King's Cross. The fastest take 46 min nonstop and are racing north to Grantham, Newark on Trent and Doncaster, fanning out towards Lincoln, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, York, Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh. The slowest may sometimes be more convenient as these start from Horsham and run via Gatwick Airport, London St Pancras and a couple of dozen other places to Peterborough, saving you from lugging bags on and off trains.

Trains run hourly from Stansted Airport via Cambridge and Ely to Peterborough and continue to Stamford, Oakham, Melton Mowbray, Leicester, Nuneaton and Birmingham New Street.

Trains from Liverpool run hourly via Manchester Piccadilly, Sheffield and Nottingham to Peterborough and continue to Ely, Thetford and Norwich.

There's a direct train from Ipswich via Bury St Edmunds every couple of hours, otherwise travel via Cambridge and change.

By bus
Stagecoach X4 runs from Northampton, every 30 min  via Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby and Oundle.

Stagecoach 904 runs from Huntingdon via Sawtry, and Bus 37 runs from Spalding.

Delaine Bus 201 / 202 runs from Bourne and Stamford.

First Excel buses run from Norwich, every 30 min via Dereham, King's Lynn and Wisbech.

The bus station is north side of Queensgate shopping centre, 200 yards east of the railway station.

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 (+44 1733 566666), Adams (+44 1733 555800), Peterborough Taxis 247/365 (+44 1733 744497), Gold Star (+44 1733 777888), The Taxi Firm (+44 1733 305405) and Peterborough Cars (+44 1733 704444).

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.
 * is a National Nature Reserve, an area of woodland and grazing that's never had modern agriculture.
 * is a National Nature Reserve, an area of woodland and grazing that's never had modern agriculture.
 * is a National Nature Reserve, an area of woodland and grazing that's never had modern agriculture.
 * is a National Nature Reserve, an area of woodland and grazing that's never had modern agriculture.

Do

 * 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 soccer 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.
 * 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.

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 Parrotts Fish Parlour, Berneliu Uzeiga (Lithuanian), Shah Jehan, Gurkha Durbaar, Balti Hut and Taj Mahal.

Drink

 * 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. Mile Tree and Oakham Ales are southwest edge of town. Further west are Nene Valley Brewery and King's Cliffe. See Thetford for the group to the north.
 * 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. Mile Tree and Oakham Ales are southwest edge of town. Further west are Nene Valley Brewery and King's Cliffe. See Thetford for the group to the north.
 * Breweries: see above for Brewery Tap. Mile Tree and Oakham Ales are southwest edge of town. Further west are Nene Valley Brewery and King's Cliffe. See Thetford for the group to the north.

Sleep

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 only 20 min further south.