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Peterborough ( ) is a cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the ceremonial county of , England. The city is north of London, on the . As of the 2021 census, the Peterborough urban area had a population of 192,178, In 2023, the Peterborough City Council estimated the population of the wider district to be 219,510.

Human settlement in the area began before the , as can be seen at the archaeological site to the east of the city centre. There is evidence of occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, , which later became Peterborough Cathedral. In the 19th century, the population grew rapidly after the coming of the railway. The area became known for its and engineering. After the Second World War, industrial employment fell and growth was limited until Peterborough was designated a new town in the 1960s. The main economic sectors now are financial services and distribution.

The city was the administrative centre of the Soke of Peterborough in the historic county of , until the Soke was abolished in 1965. From 1965 to 1974, it formed part of the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough and since then has been part of Cambridgeshire.

The cathedral city of Ely is east-southeast across the and the university city of is to the southeast. The local topography is flat and in places the land lies below sea level.

History
Toponymy
The original name of the town was . The town's name changed to Burgh from the late tenth century, possibly after Abbot Kenulf had built a around the abbey, which was dedicated to ; eventually this developed into the form Peterborough. In the 12th century the town was also known as Gildenburgh, which is found in the Peterborough version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (see Peterborough Chronicle below) and a history of the abbey by the monk .Garmonsway (pp.183 & 198–99); Mellows, 1949 (p.66). As a modern local historian has put it, this was "a rhetorical term" used in these 12th century local histories "to contrast the riches of the late Anglo-Saxon monastery with the decrease in income caused by later impositions and the despoliation of the monastic treasure by Hereward", see Tebbs, Herbert F. Peterborough: A History (p.23) The Oleander Press, Cambridge, 1979. The town does not appear to have been a until at least the 12th century.Originating in a new name for the abbey at Medeshamstede, and not the town, the name Burh was adopted for the abbey in the late 10th century, see Garmonsway (p. 117), also Mellows, William Thomas (ed.) The Chronicle of Hugh Candidus a Monk of Peterborough (pp.38 & 480) Oxford University Press, 1949, ; the addition of Peter, the name of the abbey's principal titular saint, parallels development of e.g. the name Bury St Edmunds and will have served to distinguish between the two places. Exemplified in mediaeval records in the form Burgus Sancti Petri, this gave rise to the modern name Peterborough.

Early history
Peterborough and its surrounding areas have been inhabited for thousands of years because it is where permanently drained land in is created by the . Remains of Iron Age settlement and what is thought to be religious activity can be seen at the archaeological site to the east of the city centre. The Romans established a fortified garrison town at Durobrivae on , to the west in Water Newton, around the middle of the 1st century AD. Durobrivae's earliest appearance among surviving records is in the Antonine Itinerary of the late 2nd century.Parthey, Gustav and Pinder, Moritz (eds.) Itinerarivm Antonini Avgvsti et Hierosolymitanum: ex libris manu scriptis Iter Britanniarvm (Iter V: Item a Londinio Luguvalio ad vallum mpm clvi sic) Friederich Nicolaus, Berlin, 1848. See also Reynolds, Thomas Iter Britanniarum or that part of the itinerary of Antoninus which relates to Britain with a new comment J. Burges, Cambridge, 1799. There was also a large 1st century at Longthorpe, designed to house half a , or about 3,000 soldiers; They came, they saw Top 30 Roman sites (6), Channel 4 Television (Retrieved 20 July 2008). it may have been established as early as around AD 44–48. Peterborough was an important area of ceramic production in the Roman period, providing Nene Valley Ware that was traded as far away as Cornwall and the , Caledonia.
(2026). 9780752433370, Tempus.

Peterborough is shown by its original name Medeshamstede to have possibly been an Anglian settlement before AD 655, when founded a monastery on land granted to him for that purpose by Peada of Mercia, who converted to and was briefly ruler of the smaller sub-group. His brother Wulfhere murdered his own sons, similarly converted and then finished the monastery by way of atonement.

Hereward the Wake rampaged through the town in 1069 or 1070. Outraged, Abbot Turold erected a fort or castle, which, from his name, was called Mont Turold: this mound, or hill, is on the outside of the deanery garden, now called Tout Hill, although in 1848 Tot-hill or Toot Hill. Scheduled Monument The church was rebuilt and greatly enlarged in the 12th century.Tim Tatton-Brown and John Crook, The English Cathedral, New Holland (2002) The Peterborough Chronicle, a version of the Anglo-Saxon one, contains unique information about the history of England after the Norman conquest, written here by monks in the 12th century., MS. Laud 636 (E), see Ingram, James Henry (trans.) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1823 ( facsimile of the 1847 Everyman's Library ed. with additional readings from the translation of John Allen Giles from Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 19 September 2007). . A modern edition, comparing the Peterborough version with such others as survive, is in Garmonsway, George Norman (trans.) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1972 & 1975. . For the Peterborough Chronicle's unique information, see also Clark, Cecily (ed.) The Peterborough Chronicle 1070–1154 (pp. xxi–xxx) Oxford University Press, 1958. This is the only known prose history in English between the conquest and the later 14th century.Bennett, Jack Arthur Walter Middle English Literature (ed. and completed by Douglas Gray), Oxford University Press, 1986. The burgesses received their first charter from "Abbot Robert" – probably Robert of Sutton (1262–1273). (ed.) Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.) vol.21 Cambridge University Press, 1911 (text in the public domain). The place suffered materially in the war between King John and the confederate barons, many of whom took refuge in the monastery here and in , from which sanctuaries they were forced by the king's soldiers, who plundered the religious houses and carried off great treasures. The abbey church became one of 's retained, more secular, cathedrals in 1541, having been assessed at the Dissolution as having revenue of £1,972.7s.0¾d per annum.

When civil war broke out, Peterborough was divided between supporters of King Charles I and the . The city lay on the border of the Eastern Association of counties which sided with Parliament, and the war reached Peterborough in 1643 when soldiers arrived in the city to attack Royalist strongholds at Stamford and . The Royalist forces were defeated within a few weeks and retreated to , where they were captured and sent to .Davies, Elizabeth et al. Peterborough: A Story of City and Country, People and Places (pp.18–19) Peterborough City Council and Pitkin Unichrome, 2001. While the Parliamentary soldiers were in Peterborough, however, they ransacked the cathedral, destroying the , , , high altar and choir stalls, as well as mediaeval decoration and records.King, Richard J. /Peterborough/1.html Handbook to the Cathedrals of England (p.77) John Murray, London, 1862. .

Among the privileges claimed by the abbot as early as the 13th century was that of having a prison for felons taken in the Soke of Peterborough, a liberty within . This afforded it administrative and judicial independence from the rest of the county, with it having a separate from the rest of Northamptonshire from 1349.

(2026). 9781860771842, Phillimore.
In 1576 Bishop sold the of the hundred of Nassaburgh, which was coextensive with the Soke, to Queen , who gave it to , and from that time until the 19th century he and his descendants, the Earls and Marquesses of Exeter, had a separate gaol for prisoners arrested in the Soke. The abbot formerly held four fairs, of which two, St. Peter's Fair, granted in 1189 and later held on the second Tuesday and Wednesday in July, and the Brigge Fair, granted in 1439 and later held on the first Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in October, were purchased by the corporation from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1876. The Bridge Fair, as it is now known, granted to the abbey by King Henry VI, survives."At the bridge of Peterborough by the River Nene, as well in the county of Huntingdon as in the county of Northampton, on all sides of the bridge." Prayers for the opening of the fair were once said at the morning service in the cathedral, followed by a civic proclamation and a sausage lunch at the town hall which still takes place. The mayor traditionally leads a procession from the town hall to the fair where the proclamation is read, asking all persons to "behave soberly and civilly, and to pay their just dues and demands according to the laws of the realm and the rights of the City of Peterborough".Tebbs (p.125).

Industrialisation
Railway lines began operating locally during the 1840s, but it was the 1850 opening of the Great Northern Railway's line from London to that transformed Peterborough from a market town to an industrial centre. Lord Exeter had opposed the railway passing through Stamford, so Peterborough, situated between two main terminals at London and , increasingly developed as a regional hub.Brooks, John web.archive.org/web/20050513152328/http://www.towns.org.uk/market-towns-projects/Market-Towns-Food-and-Tourism-Guides~3.pdf (p.12) The Welland Partnership and Jarrold Publishing, Norwich, 2004. Coupled with vast local clay deposits, the railway enabled large scale brickmaking and distribution to take place. The area was the UK's leading producer of bricks for much of the twentieth century. Brick-making had been a small seasonal craft since the early nineteenth century, but during the 1890s successful experiments at Fletton using the harder clays from a lower level had resulted in a much more efficient process.Davies (pp.23–24). The market dominance during this period of the London Brick Company, founded by the prolific Scottish builder and architect John Cathles Hill, gave rise to some of the country's most well-known landmarks, all built using the ubiquitous Fletton Brick. London Brick: 130 Years of History 1877–2007 Hanson Building Products, 2007. was established in Peterborough in 1932 by Frank Perkins, creator of the Perkins diesel engine. Thirty years later it employed more than a tenth of the population of Peterborough, mainly at Eastfield.Baker, Anne Pimlott "Perkins, Francis Arthur (1889–1967)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.. had relocated from London to Westwood, now the site of HM Prison Peterborough, in 1903, followed by Peter Brotherhood to Walton in 1906; both manufacturers of industrial machinery, they too became major employers in the city.Davies (pp.26–27). has moved its headquarters to Hampton from Woodston and the factory, which opened there in 1926, was closed in 1991. The History of British Sugar British Sugar (Retrieved 5 January 2008).

Second World War
There were 50 raids on the city, with seven houses destroyed. At 11pm on 15 January 1941 five high explosives landed near Walpole Street and one man was killed. At 3.35am on 10 May 1941 four high explosives landed near Priestgate, with two men killed; was also bombed at around 3.15am. Peterborough Standard Friday 27 October 1944, page 1

Modern History
On August 22, 1956 much of the old city centre was destroyed by the Great Fire of Peterborough. The blaze started in the shop on the corner of Cowgate and King Street and spread to a shoe shop, furniture store and the local . It caused more than £250,000 worth of damage and was extinguished with assistance from the at .

The Norwich and Peterborough (N&P) was formed by the merger of the Norwich Building Society and the Peterborough Building Society in 1986. It was the ninth-largest building society at the time of its merger into the Yorkshire Group in 2011. Members agree Yorkshire and N&P building societies merger BBC News, 22 August 2011. N&P continued to operate under its own brand administered at Lynch Wood until 2018. Prior to merger with the Midlands Co-op in 2013, Anglia Regional, the UK's fifth-largest cooperative society, was also based in Peterborough, where it had been established in 1876.Brooks, Beth Central England Co-op born out of Midlands-Anglia merger The Grocer, 16 January 2014. The combined society began trading as Central England Co-operative in 2014.

Designated a New Town in 1967, Peterborough Development Corporation was formed in partnership with the city and county councils to house London's population in new townships sited around the existing urban area.Under the New Towns Act 1965 (1965 cap.59) cf. The Peterborough Development Corporation (Transfer of Property and Dissolution) Order 1988 (SI 1988/1410); the designation was made on 21 July 1967, see There were to be four townships, one each at Bretton (originally to be called Milton, a hamlet in the ), Orton, Paston/ Werrington and Castor. The last of these was never built, but a fourth, called Hampton, is now taking shape south of the city. It was decided that the city should have a major indoor shopping centre at its heart. Planning permission was received in late summer 1976 and Queensgate, containing over 90 stores and including parking for 2,300 cars, was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1982. of urban roads were planned and a network of high-speed landscaped thoroughfares, known as , was constructed.Hancock, Tom Greater Peterborough Master Plan Peterborough Development Corporation, 1971.

Peterborough's population grew by 45.4% between 1971 and 1991. New service sector companies like Thomas Cook and were attracted to the city, ending the dominance of the manufacturing industry as employers. An urban regeneration company named Opportunity Peterborough, under the chairmanship of Lord Mawhinney, was set up by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005 to oversee Peterborough's future development. "Expansion: A billion reasons to be cheerful" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 2 March 2005. Between 2006 and 2012 a £1 billion redevelopment of the city centre and surrounding areas was planned. The master plan provided guidelines on the physical shaping of the city centre over the next 15–20 years. Proposals are still progressing for the north of Westgate, the south bank and the station quarter, where is preparing a major mixed use development. The Plan for Peterborough City Centre Peterborough City Council, East of England Development Agency and English Partnerships, February 2005. Whilst recognising that the reconfiguration of the relationship between the city and station was critical, found the current plans for Westgate unconvincing and felt more thought should be given to the vitality of the historic core. Urban Panel Review Paper for Peterborough (see archived copy in the UK Government Web Archive, archived on 10 January 2008) Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, 16 March 2006.

In recent years Peterborough has undergone significant changes with numerous developments underway, most notably are Fletton Quays, a project to construct 350 apartments, various office spaces as well as a new home for Peterborough City Council with other projects within the development to include a Hilton Garden Inn hotel with a sky bar, a new passport office and various leisure, restaurant and retail opportunities. Other projects within the city include the extension to Queensgate Shopping Centre, The Great Northern Hotel and more recently plans to extend the railway station and long stay car park to facilitate more office space in the city centre and further parking.

Governance
There is one main tier of local government covering Peterborough, at unitary authority level, being Peterborough City Council, which meets at Peterborough Town Hall and has its main offices at Sand Martin House on Bittern Way. The city council is also a member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, led by the directly elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The area governed by the city council is the district of Peterborough, which extends beyond the urban area of Peterborough itself to include surrounding villages and rural areas, particularly to the north-west and north-east. Peterborough's city status is formally held by the local government district rather than the urban area. Much of the Peterborough urban area is , but some of the suburbs are included in , including Bretton, Hampton Hargate and Vale, Orton Longueville, and .

Administrative history
Peterborough was an , which was historically in the Nassaburgh hundred of . The parish was divided into five hamlets or townships: , Eastfield, , Newark and a Peterborough township covering the central part of the parish including the town. Within the Peterborough township was an extra-parochial area known as the Minster Precincts, covering St Peter's Abbey and its . When the former abbey church became Peterborough Cathedral in 1541, Peterborough was thereafter deemed to be a city. The area originally holding city status was the Peterborough township plus the Minster Precincts.

Although made a city in 1541, at that time Peterborough was not a borough (despite including the word in its name). Prior to the dissolution of the abbey in 1539, the abbey had been the owner of the town; that ownership passed to the new cathedral authorities. A Peterborough constituency was also created in 1541, covering the same area as the city.

In 1790, a body of improvement commissioners was established to provide public services in the city. In 1874 Peterborough was incorporated as a municipal borough, with the commissioners replaced by an elected council initially comprising a mayor, six and eighteen .Under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76), Charter of Incorporation dated 17 March 1874.

The municipal borough was abolished in 1974 when the modern district was created, being a lower tier non-metropolitan district, with the area also being transferred to Cambridgeshire at the same time.Local Government Act 1972 In 1998 the Peterborough district was removed from the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire (the area governed by Cambridgeshire County Council) to become a unitary authority, whilst remaining part of the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire for the purposes of and .

Geography
Climate
According to the Köppen classification the experience a characterised by relatively cool summers and mild winters. Compared with other parts of the country, East Anglia is slightly warmer and sunnier in the summer and colder and frostier in the winter. Owing to its inland position, furthest from the landfall of most depressions, Cambridgeshire is one of the driest counties in the UK, receiving, on average, around of rain per year.Brown, Chris State of the Environment Report 1998 Chapter 11: Physical Background (pp.305–306) Cambridgeshire County Council (Retrieved 19 July 2007). The Met Office weather station at Wittering, within the unitary authority of Peterborough, recorded a maximum temperature of on 19 July 2022. The lowest temperature in recent years was during February 2012.

Topography
East Anglia is most notable for being almost flat (it is mainly on a floodplain). During the Ice Age much of the region was covered by ice sheets and this has influenced the topography and nature of the soils.Brown (p.301). Much of Cambridgeshire is low-lying, in some places below present-day mean sea level.Brown (p.304). The lowest point on land is supposedly just to the south of the city at Holme Fen, which is below sea level. The largest of the many settlements along the edge, Peterborough has been called the Gateway to the Fens.Dixon, Rachel Let’s go to … Peterborough The Guardian, 27 October 2015. Before they were drained were liable to periodic flooding so was limited to the higher areas of the Fen edge, with the rest of the dedicated to . In this way, the mediaeval and early modern Fens stood in contrast to the rest of southern England, which was primarily arable. Since the advent of modern drainage in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the Fens have been radically transformed such that arable farming has almost entirely replaced pastoral.Broadberry, Stephen et al. English Agricultural Output 1250–1450: Some Preliminary Estimates (p.10) University of Warwick, 27 November 2008. The unitary authority extends north west to the settlements of Wothorpe and Wittering and east beyond Thorney into the historic Isle of Ely and includes the Ortons, south of the River Nene. It borders Northamptonshire to the west, Lincolnshire to the north, and the Cambridgeshire districts of and to the south and east. The city centre is located at 52°35'N 0°15'W or national grid reference TL 185 998.

Urban areas
Townships are in bold type. In addition to the surrounding villages, Bretton, Orton Longueville and Orton Waterville are parished. The city council also works closely with Werrington neighbourhood association which operates on a similar basis to a parish council.

Bretton – Dogsthorpe – Eastfield – Eastgate – Fengate – Fletton – Gunthorpe – The Hamptons – Longthorpe – Millfield – Netherton – Newark – New England – The Ortons – Parnwell – Paston – Ravensthorpe – Stanground – Walton – Werrington – West Town – Westwood – Woodston

Rural areas
do not cover the whole of England and mostly exist in rural hinterland. They are usually administered by parish councils which have various local responsibilities.

Ailsworth – Bainton – Barnack – Borough Fen – Castor – Deeping Gate – Etton – Eye – Eye Green – Glinton – Helpston – Marholm – Maxey – Newborough – Northborough – Peakirk – Southorpe – St. Martin's Without – Sutton – Thorney – Thornhaugh – Ufford – Upton – Wansford – Wittering – Wothorpe

These are further arranged into 24 electoral wards for the purposes of local government. The City of Peterborough (Electoral Changes) Order 2003 (SI 2003/161) and The City of Peterborough (Electoral Changes) (Amendment) Order 2004 (SI 2004/721), see Boundary Committee for England report to the Electoral Commission Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Peterborough , 9 July 2002. 15 wards comprise the Peterborough constituency for elections to the House of Commons, while the remaining nine fall within the North West Cambridgeshire constituency.Clegg, William General Review of Parliamentary Constituency boundaries in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ( archived copy as at 17 May 2009 from the UK Government Web Archive) Assistant Commissioner's report to the Chairman and Members of the Boundary Commission for England, 18 March 2004 and Final Recommendations for Parliamentary Constituencies in the Counties of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ( archived copy as at 17 May 2009 from the UK Government Web Archive) Boundary Commission for England, 19 January 2005.

Linguistics
Peterborough lies in the middle of several distinct regional accent groups and as such has a hybrid of Fenland East Anglian, East Midland and London features. The city falls just north of the A vowel and as such most native speakers will use the flat A, as found in cat, in words such as last. is often heard from Peterborians, as in the rest of East Anglia, for example new as . However, the large number of newcomers has impacted greatly on the spoken by the younger generation. Common so-called Estuary English features such as , and give today's Peterborough accent a definite south-eastern sound.Britain, David Surviving Estuary English: Innovation diffusion, koineisation and local dialect differentiation in the English Fenland Essex Research Reports in Linguistics, vol.41 (pp.74–103) University of Essex, Department of Language and Linguistics, 2002.

Paleontology
Peterborough has long been known for fossils of animals found in the , particularly marine reptiles such as and collected from brick pits in the area.Martill, D.M. The Stratigraphic Distribution and Preservation of Fossil Vertebrates in the Oxford Clay of England. Mercian Geol. 1986, 10, 161–186 In 1898, the skeleton of a sauropod dinosaur, later named , was excavated from a pit near Fletton. The extinct Jurassic shark was named after Peterborough in 2008.

Demographics
Population
The City of Peterborough local authority area has a population of (). It is forecast to reach 230,000 in 2031 and 240,000 by around 2041.CCC 2020-based population forecasts, Peterborough, 2020–2041
46,986
53,114
58,186
63,745
69,855
76,555
89,794
105,323
131,696Enlarged to include former Peterborough RD, Barnack RD, Thorney RD, Old Fletton UD and Orton Longueville CP from Norman Cross RD in 1974.
155,050
156,060
183,600 (+ 16.6%)
215,700 (+17.5%)

Peterborough's population growth was reportedly the second fastest of any British city over the ten years from 2004 to 2013, driven partly by immigration.

Ethnicity
According to the 2011 census, 82.5% of Peterborough's residents categorised themselves as , 2.8% of mixed ethnic groups, 11.7% , 2.3% and 0.8% other. Amongst the white population, the largest categories were indigenous groups, those being English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British (70.9%), and (10.6%). Those of Pakistani ethnicity accounted for 6.6% of the population and those of 2.5.%. The largest black group were those of African ethnicity (1.4%).

Peterborough is home to one of the largest concentrations of in the UK. This is mainly as a result of recruitment in the 1950s by the London Brick Company in the southern Italian regions of and . By 1960, approximately 3,000 Italian men were employed by London Brick, mostly at the works.Colpi, Terry The Italian Factor: The Italian Community in Great Britain (p.149) Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 1991. In 1962, the Scalabrini Fathers, who first arrived in 1956, purchased an old school and converted it into a mission church named after the of workers (San Giuseppe). By 1991, over 3,000 of had been carried out there.Colpi (p.235). In 1996, it was estimated that the Italian community of Peterborough numbered 7,000, making it the third largest in the UK after London and .

(1996). 9781874465270, University of Sussex. .
The 2011 Census recorded 1,179 residents born in Italy.

In the late twentieth century the main source of immigration was from new Commonwealth countries. The 2011 Census showed that a total of 24,166 migrants moved to Peterborough between 2001 and 2011. The city has experienced significant immigration from the A8 countries that joined the European Union in 2004, and in 2011, 14,134 residents of the city were people born in Central and Eastern Europe.

According to a report published by the police in 2007, recent migration had resulted in increased translation costs and a change in the nature of crime in the county, with an increase in drink driving offences, knife crime and an international dimension added to activities such as running cannabis factories and human trafficking. The number of foreign nationals arrested in the north of the county rose from 894 in 2003, to 2,435 in 2006, but the report also said that "inappropriately negative" community perceptions about migrant workers often complicate routine incidents, raising tensions and turning them "critical". It also noted there was "little evidence that the increased numbers of migrant workers have caused significant or systematic problems in respect of community safety or cohesion". The changing demography of Cambridgeshire: implications for policing Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Cambridgeshire Police Authority, 19 September 2007. In 2007, , the then emphasised that the fact that the demographic profile of Cambridgeshire had changed dramatically from one where 95% of teenagers were white four years previously to one of the country's fastest growing diverse populations, and said it had a positive impact on development and jobs. In 2008, the broadcast The Poles are Coming!, a documentary on the impact of migration to Peterborough by , as part of its White Season. The Poles are Coming! Is white working class Britain becoming invisible? A season of programmes on BBC Two (Retrieved 19 March 2008).

The number of languages in use is growing where previously few languages other than English were spoken. , Peterborough offered classes in Italian, and in its primary schools. Positively Plurilingual: The contribution of community languages to UK education and society (p.6) CILT the National Centre for Languages, 2006.

Religion
The 2021 census marked the first time had become a instead of a in Peterborough. This is due to the rise of going from 24.6% in 2011 to 32.5% in 2021 making up almost 1/3 of the city's population. is also rising, going from 9.4% in 2011 to 12.2% in 2021 with its followers in Peterborough mainly being of descent. had a slight increase going from 1.5% in 2011 to 1.8% in 2021. The percentage Of , and have stayed the same since 2011. The amount of people not stating their religion is decreasing, going from 6.7% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2021.

Other Christian denominations are also in evidence; the latest church to be constructed is a £7 million "superchurch," KingsGate, formerly Peterborough Community Church, which can seat up to 1,800 worshippers.Sandall, Jonathan "Peterborough superchurch to open" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 21 September 2006. In comparison with the rest of England, Peterborough has a lower proportion of Christians, , , and . The city has a higher percentage of than England as a whole (9.4% compared to 5% nationally). The majority of Muslims reside in the Millfield, West Town and New England areas of the city, where two large mosques (including the Faidhan-e-Madina Mosque and Husaini Islamic Center-Peterborough) are based. Peterborough also has both Hindu (Bharat Hindu Samaj) and Sikh (Singh Sabha Gurdwara) temples in these areas.

The Anglican Diocese of Peterborough covers roughly , including the whole of Northamptonshire, Rutland and the Soke of Peterborough. The parts of the city that lie south of the river, which were historically in , fall within the Diocese of Ely, which covers the remainder of Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk. The current Bishop of Peterborough has been appointed in the Diocese of Ely, with pastoral care for these delegated to her by the Bishop of Ely. "Religion: Bishops bridge boundaries aboard boat" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 2 August 2004. Bridging the divide in a city Diocese of Ely, Ref. 0471, 29 July 2004. The city falls wholly within the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia (which has its seat at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Baptist, Norwich) and is served by Saint Peter and All Souls Church, built in 1896 and decorated in the Gothic style.Waszak, Peter "The Revival of the Roman Catholic Church in Peterborough c. 1793–1910" in Peterborough's Past vol.3 Peterborough Museum Society, 1988. The Community of Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem was established in 1991 under the Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Neighbouring Greek Communities Northampton Greek Community (Retrieved 31 October 2010).

Economy 
[[File:Cathedral Square, Peterborough - geograph.org.uk - 6878630.jpg|thumb|Cathedral Square]]

Regeneration
Figures plotting growth from 1995 to 2004, revealed that Peterborough had become the most successful economy among unitary authorities in the East of England. They also revealed that the city's economy had grown faster than the regional average and any other economy in the region.Hastings, David and Swadkin, Claire Regional economic indicators with a focus on the differences in regional economic performance Economic and Labour Market Review, vol.1 no.2 (pp.52–64) February 2007. It has a strong economy in the environmental goods and services sector and has the largest cluster of environmental businesses in the UK. Peterborough Environment Cluster The UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (Retrieved 20 December 2007).

In 1994, Peterborough designated itself one of four environment cities in the UK and began working to become the country's acknowledged environment capital. Peterborough – the UK's Environment Capital Greater Peterborough Partnership (Retrieved 20 December 2007). Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT), an independent charity, was set up at the same time to work towards this goal, delivering projects promoting healthier and sustainable living in the city. About Us Peterborough Environment City Trust (Retrieved 30 May 2010). Until 2017, PECT organised a yearly 'Green Festival' centered around Cathedral Square, Peterborough, which also benefited local artists and arts organisations through attracting Arts Council funding grants aided by arts facilitator organisation Metal. During the summer of 2018 the last Green Festival was held at Nene Park, in 2019 Peterborough's community environmental projects attracted ministerial attention from the environment secretary . During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–21 Peterborough's culture and leisure umbrella charity, Vivacity ceased operating.

The council and regional development agency have taken advice on regeneration issues from a number of internationally recognised experts, including (formerly an adviser to President ), Jan Gustav Strandenaes ( adviser on environmental issues) and Patama Roorakwit (a Thai "community architect").Salman, Saba "The civic engineer" , The Guardian, London and Manchester, 8 October 2008.

Employment
According to the 2001 census, the workplace population of 90,656 is divided into 60,118 people who live in Peterborough and 30,358 people who commute in. A further 13,161 residents commute out of the city to work. Commuting Profile for Peterborough East of England Regional Assembly, 11 April 2005. Earnings in Peterborough are lower than average. earnings for full-time workers were £11.93 per hour in 2014, less than the regional median for the East of England of £13.62 and the median hourly rate of £13.15 for as a whole. As part of the government's M11 corridor, Peterborough is committed to creating 17,500 jobs with the population growing to 200,000 by 2020. "Employment: Projects promise jobs to end worrying trend" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 23 March 2006.

Future employment will also be created through the plan for the city centre launched by the council in 2003. Predictions of the levels and types of employment created were published in 2005. These include 1,421 jobs created in retail; 1,067 created in a variety of leisure and cultural developments; 338 in three hotels; and a further 4,847 jobs created in offices and other workspaces. Recent relocations of large employers include both (1,070 employees) and (850 employees) distribution centres. "Jobs: Boom Time" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 18 April 2005. A further 2,500 jobs were to be created in the £140 million Gateway warehouse and distribution park. This was expected to compensate for the 6,000 job losses as a result of the decline in manufacturing, anticipated in a report cited by the cabinet member for economic growth and regeneration in 2006. "Business: Distribution park will bring 2,500 jobs to city" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 12 September 2006.

With traditionally low levels of unemployment, Peterborough is a popular destination for workers and has seen significant growth through migration since the postwar period. The leader of the council said in August 2006 that he believed that 80% of the 65,000 people who had arrived in from the states that joined the European Union in 2004 were living in Peterborough. "Limit plea: Fears over immigrants" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 23 August 2006. To help cope with this influx, the council put forward plans to construct an average of 1,300 homes each year until 2021. Housing Strategy Statement 2004-7 Peterborough City Council, July 2004. Peterborough Trades Council, formed in 1898, is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress. About PTUC Peterborough Trades Union Council (Retrieved 30 May 2015).

Culture
The former public library on Broadway was funded by Scottish philanthropist and opened in 1906; Carnegie was made first freeman of the city on the day of the opening ceremony.

Arts
Peterborough enjoys a wide range of events including the annual East of England Show, Peterborough Festival and CAMRA beer festival, which takes place on the river embankment in late August. Destination Guide for Peterborough English Tourist Board (Retrieved 20 April 2007). The yearly festivals have attracted arts funding and enabled further community projects within the city. Nationally published cartoonist John Elson, from Peterborough, has provided imagery for many of the events.

The city acts as the central hub for the region's visual arts community, with the Peterborough Artists Open Studio organisation (PAOS), celebrating its 21st anniversary year as of 2021. A number of statues by the British sculptor were re-installed in the city in 2018. Removed for repair works from their original setting on concrete pillars next to the rowing lake in Nene Park, they can now be seen on top of buildings surrounding Cathedral Square in the town centre.

The Key Theatre, built in 1973, is situated on the embankment, next to the . The theatre aims to provide entertainment, enlightenment and education by reflecting the rich culture Peterborough has to offer. The programme is made up of home-grown productions, national touring shows, local community productions and one-off concerts. There is disabled access, an infrared hearing system for the deaf and hard of hearing and there are also regular signed performances. The Key Times is the theatre's newspaper, available free of charge from the last Saturday of each month.

In 1937, the opened on Broadway, where it operated successfully for more than half a century. In 1991, the Odeon showed its last film to the public and was left to fall into a state of disrepair, until 1997, when a local entrepreneur purchased the building as part of a larger project, including a restaurant and art gallery. The Broadway, designed by Tim Foster Architects, was one of the largest theatres in the region and offered a selection of live entertainment, including music, comedy and films. "First Glimpse of Mecca to Movies", Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 18 April 2001. In 2009, it was severely damaged by arsonists, resulting in closure when its insurers refused to pay the claim due to faulty fire detection systems.Baker, Marie "Broadway devastated by major fire blaze" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 26 January 2009.

The Embassy Theatre, a large building designed by David Evelyn Nye, also opened on Broadway in 1937. Nye was usually a cinema architect, and this was his only theatre. The Embassy was converted into a cinema in 1953, becoming the ABC and later the , before it was closed in 1989. Since 1996, the premises have been occupied by the Edwards bar chain. 50th Anniversary 1937–1987 Souvenir Brochure Cannon Cinema, Peterborough, 1987.

The John Clare Theatre within the new central library,Managed on behalf of the council by Vivacity , an independent, not-for-profit organisation with charitable status; there are also nine branch libraries and a mobile library. again on Broadway, is home to the Peterborough Film Society. One of the region's leading venues, the Cresset in Bretton, provides a wide range of events for the residents of the city and beyond, including theatre, comedy, music and dance. Peterborough has a 13-screen , an and two indoor swimming pools open to the general public.

A diverse range of restaurants can be found throughout the city, including , , and many restaurants. Peterborough has recently been used as the setting in popular literature: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by , Orange Broadband prize for Fiction 2005 shortlist title A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka (336 pp. Viking, London, 2005) Orange Home UK (Retrieved 26 January 2008). A Spot of Bother by Ness, Patrick "Pleasant incidents" (review of A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, 390 pp. Jonathan Cape, London, 2006), The Guardian, London and Manchester, 26 August 2006. and, the first in a projected series, Long Way Home, a debut novel by Eva Doran.Wilson, Laura Crime fiction roundup – reviews The Guardian, 23 January 2014.

Twinning
started in Europe after the Second World War. Its purpose was to promote friendship and greater understanding between the people of different European cities. A twinning link is a formal, long-term friendship agreement involving co-operation between two communities in different countries and endorsed by both local authorities. The two communities organise projects and activities addressing a range of issues and develop an understanding of historical, cultural, lifestyle similarities and differences. Peterborough is twinned with the following municipalities: "Peterborough's twin towns" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 11 March 2009.

  • Alcalá de Henares, Spain (birthplace of Queen Katherine, 1986)
  • , Australia (1947)
  • , France (1957)
  • Forlì, Italy (1981)
  • , Germany (1981)
  • , Ukraine (1991)

and Forlì are also twinned with each other. The city also has more informal friendship links with , Italy; , Zimbabwe; Pécs, Hungary; and all Peterboroughs around the world. International Links Peterborough City Council (Retrieved 22 April 2015). Town Twinning Visit Peterborough (Retrieved 22 April 2015). The county of Cambridgeshire has been twinned with Kreis Viersen, Germany since 1983. "How 40-year twinning relationship between Cambridgeshire and German region of Kreis Viersen has fallen victim to spending cuts", Cambridge News, 18 November 2013.

Landmarks
Peterborough Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of , Saint Paul and , whose statues look down from the three high gables of the West Front, was founded as a in AD 655 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238. It has been the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough since the was created in 1541, when the last abbot was made the first bishop and the abbot's house was converted into the episcopal palace. Peterborough Cathedral is one of the most intact large Norman buildings in England and is renowned for its imposing early English Gothic West Front which, with its three enormous arches, is without architectural precedent and with no direct successor. The cathedral has the distinction of having had two queens buried beneath its paving: Catherine of Aragon and Mary, Queen of Scots. The remains of Queen Mary were removed to Westminster Abbey by her son James I when he became King of England.Sweeting, Walter Debenham The Cathedral Church of Peterborough: A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See (pp.3–35) G. Bell & Sons, London, 1898 ( facsimile of the 1926 reprint of the 2nd ed. of Bell's Cathedrals from Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 23 April 2007).

The general layout of Peterborough is attributed to Martin de Vecti who, as abbot from 1133 to 1155, rebuilt the settlement on dry limestone to the west of the monastery, rather than the often-flooded marshlands to the east. Abbot Martin was responsible for laying out the market place and the wharf beside the river. Peterborough's 17th-century Guildhall was built in 1671 by John Lovin, who also restored the bishop's palace shortly after the restoration of King Charles II. It stands on columns, providing an open ground floor for the butter and poultry markets which used to be held there. The Market Place was renamed Cathedral Square and the adjacent Gates Memorial Fountain moved to Bishop's Road Gardens in 1963, when the (then weekly) market was transferred to the site of the old cattle market.Skinner, Julia (with particular reference to the work of Robert Cook) Did You Know? Peterborough: A Miscellany (pp.33, 25 & 16) The Francis Frith Collection, Salisbury, 2006.

on City Road was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1864, housing St. Peter's Teacher Training College for men until 1938. The building is mainly listed for the 18th century doorway, brought from the London Guildhall following war damage. Heritage Explorer: Images for Learning National Monuments Record, English Heritage (Retrieved 4 July 2010). Nearby Tout Hill, the site of a castle bailey, is a scheduled monument. The city has a large park containing formal gardens, children's play areas, an aviary, bowling green, tennis courts, pitch and putt course and tea rooms. The Park has been awarded the Green Flag Award, the national standard for parks and green spaces, by the . Green Flag Award Winners (p.13) The Civic Trust, 21 July 2006. Peterborough Civic Society is registered with the Civic Trust. A Cross of Sacrifice was erected in Broadway cemetery by the Imperial War Graves Commission in the early 1920s. Buildings of Local Importance in Peterborough (p. 88) Peterborough City Council, March 2013. The Lido, a striking building with elements of design, was opened in 1936 and is one of the few survivors of its type still in use.Brandon and Knight (pp.111–112).

Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, built in 1816, housed the city's first infirmary from 1857 to 1928. The museum has a collection of some 227,000 objects, including local archaeology and social history, from the products of the Roman pottery industry to Britain's oldest known murder victim; a collection of marine fossil remains from the period of international importance; the manuscripts of , the "Northamptonshire Peasant Poet" as he was commonly known in his own time;Grainger, Margaret A Descriptive Catalogue of the John Clare Collection Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, 1973. and the Norman Cross collection of items made by French prisoners of war. These prisoners were kept at Norman Cross on the outskirts of Peterborough from 1797 to 1814, in what is believed to be the world's first purpose-built prisoner of war camp. The art collection contains an impressive variety of paintings, prints and drawings dating from the 1600s to the present day. Peterborough Museum also holds regular temporary exhibitions, weekend events and guided tours.

to the north of Peterborough, near Stamford, was built and mostly designed by Sir William Cecil, later 1st Baron Burghley, who was Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign.Leatham, Victoria Burghley: The Life of a Great House The Herbert Press, London, 1992. See also Becker, Alida "This Old House" (review of Life at Burghley: Restoring One of England's Great Houses by the same author), The New York Times, 27 December 1992. The country house, with a park laid out by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 18th century, is one of the principal examples of 16th-century English architecture.Turner, Roger Capability Brown and the Eighteenth Century English Landscape (pp.110–112) Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 1999. The estate, still home to his descendants, hosts the Burghley Horse Trials, an annual three-day . Another Grade I , near Castor, ancestral home of the Barons and later , also dates from the same period. For two centuries following the restoration the city was a of this family. Wentworth-Fitzwilliam family of Milton Peterborough City Council (Retrieved 22 September 2007).

The John Clare Cottage in the village of Helpston was purchased by the John Clare Trust in 2005. The cottage, home of John Clare from his birth in 1793 until 1832, has been restored using traditional building methods to create a resource where visitors can learn about the poet, his works and how rural people lived in the early 19th century. Welcome to John Clare Cottage John Clare Trust (Retrieved 21 April 2015). The John Clare Cottage and Thorney Heritage Museum form part of the Greater Fens Museum Partnership, along with Peterborough Museum and Flag Fen.

, a 14th-century three-storey tower and fortified manor house in the care of , is situated about west of the city centre. It is a scheduled monument, and contains the finest and most complete set of domestic paintings of their period in northern Europe.Salter, Mike The Castles of East Anglia (p.21) Folly Publications, Malvern, 2001. Nearby Thorpe Hall is one of the few mansions built in the Commonwealth period. A maternity hospital from 1943 to 1970, it was acquired by the Sue Ryder Foundation in 1986 and is currently in use as a hospice.Brandon and Knight (p.17).

, the Bronze Age archaeological site, was discovered in 1982, when a team led by Dr carried out a survey of dykes in the area. Probably religious, it comprises a large number of poles arranged in five long rows, connecting with Peterborough across the wet fenland. The museum exhibits many of the artefacts found, including what is believed to be the oldest wheel in Britain. An exposed section of the Roman road known as the also crosses the site. Flag Fen: Life and Death of a Prehistoric Landscape Tempus Publishing, Stroud, 2005.

The Nene Valley Railway, which is now a , was one of the last passenger lines to fall under the in 1966, although it remained open for freight traffic until 1972. In 1974, the former development corporation bought the line, which runs from the city centre to just west of Wansford via and the country park, and leased it to the Peterborough Railway Society.Rhodes, John The Nene Valley Railway, Turntable Publications, Sheffield, 1976. is a railway museum located beside Peterborough Nene Valley railway station.

The Nene Park, which opened in 1978, covers a site long, from slightly west of Castor to the centre of Peterborough. The park has three lakes, one of which houses a watersports centre. Ferry Meadows, one of the major destinations and attractions signposted on the , occupies a large portion of Nene Park. Orton Mere provides access to the east of the park. Changing Places: Case Studies of the Urban Renaissance The Urban and Economic Development Group (Retrieved 2 May 2007).

Southey Wood, once included in the Royal Forest of Rockingham, is a mixed woodland maintained by the Forestry Commission between the villages of Upton and Ufford. Woodland Wildlife Walk: Southey Wood Cambridgeshire County Council, 2004. Nearby, Castor Hanglands, Barnack Hills and Holes and Bedford Purlieus national nature reserves are each sites of special scientific interest. Castor Hanglands NNR , 2004.Barkham, John Review of Bedford Purlieus: Its History, Ecology and Management by George Frederick Peterken and Robert Colin Welch (eds.) Journal of Biogeography, vol.3 no.3 (pp.322–323) September 1976. In 2002, the Hills and Holes, one of 's 35 spotlight reserves, was designated a special area of conservation as part of the Natura 2000 network of sites throughout the . Barnack Hills and Holes NNR , 2004.

Transport
Rail
Peterborough railway station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line, 45–50 minutes' journey time from central London, with high-speed intercity services from King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley operated by the London North Eastern Railway at around a 20-minute frequency. It is the northern terminus of slower commuter services from , via and central London, operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

It is a major railway junction where a number of cross-country routes converge:

Water
The , made navigable from the port at to by 1761,Under the Nene Navigation Acts 1714 (12 Ann. c. 7), 1725 (11 Geo. 1. c. 19), 1756 (29 Geo. 2. c. 69) and 1794 (34 Geo. 3. c. 85). passes through the city centre. The carries the railway over the river. It was built in 1847 by Sir and .Gordon Bibble, Britanic's History Railway Buildings. An Oxford Gazetteer of Structures and Sites, (p.195), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003 William Cubitt was the chief engineer of Crystal Palace erected at Hyde Park in 1851. Apart from some minor repairs in 1910 and 1914 (the steel bands and cross braces around the fluted legs) the bridge remains as the Cubitts built it. Now a Grade II* listed structure, it is the oldest surviving cast-iron railway bridge in the UK.Labrum, Edward A. Civil Engineering Heritage: Eastern and Central England (pp.78–79) Thomas Telford, London, 1994. See also Cossey, F. "Cast Iron Railway Bridge at Peterborough" in (ed.) Industrial Archaeology vol. 4 (pp.138–147) David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1967. By the Town Bridge, the Customs House, built in the early eighteenth century, is a visible reminder of the city's past function as an inland port.Brandon, David and Knight, John Peterborough Past: The City and The Soke (p.54) Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 2001. The Environment Agency navigation starts at the junction with the Northampton arm of the Grand Union Canal and extends for , ending at Bevis Hall, just upstream of Wisbech. The tidal limit was Woodston Wharf until the Dog-in-a-Doublet lock was built downstream in 1937. Navigations in the Anglian Region Public Relations Department, National Rivers Authority, Anglian Region (NRA Anglian 88) 1994.

Road
The A1/A1(M) primary route (part of European route E15) broadly follows the path of the historic Great North Road from St Paul's Cathedral in the heart of London, passing Peterborough (Junction 17), and continuing north a further to central . In 1899 the British Electric Traction Company sought permission for a tramway joining the northern suburbs with the city centre. The system, which operated under the name Peterborough Electric Traction Company, opened in 1903 and was abandoned in favour of motor buses in 1930, when it was merged into the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company.Brandon and Knight (pp.47–49). Today, bus services in the city are operated by several companies including (formerly Cambus and Viscount) and . Despite its large-scale growth, Peterborough has the fastest peak and off-peak travel times for a city of its size in the UK, due to the construction of the parkways. The Local Transport Plan anticipated expenditure totalling around £180 million for the period up to 2010 on major road schemes to accommodate development. The Second Local Transport Plan Peterborough City Council, March 2006.

The combination of rail connections to the Port of Felixstowe and to the East Coast Main Line as well as a road connection via the A1(M) has led to Peterborough being proposed as the site of a rail-road logistics and distribution centre to be known as Magna Park. Regional Freight Interchange Peterborough City Council (Retrieved 21 January 2012).

Green Wheel and City Cycling
The Peterborough Millennium is a network of cycleways, footpaths and bridleways which provide safe, continuous routes around the city with radiating spokes connecting to the city centre. The project has also created a sculpture trail, which provides functional, landscape artworks along the Green Wheel route and a Living Landmarks project involving the local community in the creation of local landscape features such as mini woodlands, ponds and hedgerows. "Cycle Guide: The Green Wheel", The Guardian, London and Manchester, 3 March 2007. Another long-distance footpath, the , runs from in Rutland, through Peterborough, to in Norfolk.Noyes, T.B. The Hereward Way: A Walking Route Across the Fens Oakham to Thetford (also part of European route E2 Ely to Oakham) The Ramblers' Association (Peterborough Group), 1985 (Republished 2004 and published online 2007). While cycling within the city received a boost during the COVID-19 pandemic with the introduction of new cycle lanes in busy streets, plans to connect the villages to the west of Peterborough with a new cycle track have been refused permission and some cycle lane decisions have been reversed in the city centre during easing of the corona virus lockdowns.

Education
Peterborough has one independent school: The Peterborough School at Westwood House, founded in 1895. The school caters for girls and now boys up to the age of 18. Peterborough's state schools have recently undergone significant change. Five of the city's fifteen secondary schools were closed in July 2007, to be demolished over the coming years. John Mansfield (now an adult learning centre), Hereward (formerly Eastholm, now City of Peterborough Academy, sponsored by the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust) and Deacon's were replaced with the flagship Thomas Deacon Academy, designed by Lord Foster of Thames Bank which opened in September 2007.

Queen Katharine Academy (previously The Voyager School), which has specialist media arts status, replaced Bretton Woods and Walton Community School. It is part of the Thomas Deacon Education Trust. The schools that remain have been extended and enlarged. Over £200 million was spent and the changes on-going to 2010. Secondary School Review Peterborough City Council (Retrieved 15 April 2007). The King's School is one of seven schools established, or in some cases re-endowed and renamed, by King during the dissolution of the monasteries to pray for his soul.Orme, Nicholas The King's school has an "outstanding" status and is widely considered the best in Peterborough. School founders and patrons in England, 597–1560 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, October 2006. In 2006, 39.4% of Peterborough local education authority pupils attained five grades A* to C, including English and Mathematics, in the General Certificate of Secondary Education, lower than the national average of 45.8%. "How different LEAs performed", BBC News Online, 19 January 2007.

The city has two colleges of further and , Peterborough College (established in 1946 as Peterborough Technical College) and City College Peterborough (known as Peterborough College of Adult Education until 2010). By 2004, Peterborough College attracted over 15,000 students each year from the UK and abroad and was ranked in the top five per cent of colleges in the UK.Nasta, Tony Statutory Inspection of Peterborough Regional College under Section 3 of the School Inspections Act 1996 (1996 cap.57) Office for Standards in Education and Adult Learning Inspectorate, 17 October 2006. Greater Peterborough University Technical College is a new education facility set to open in September 2015. About us Greater Peterborough University Technical College (Retrieved 21 April 2015).

In 2020, planning permission was granted for a new university campus, ARU Peterborough, which subsequently opened its doors in September 2022 on Bishops Road, a five-minute walk from the City Centre. It is operated by Anglia Ruskin University with four faculties: Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Creative and Digital Arts and Sciences; Agriculture, Environment and Sustainability; Health and Education. The new campus took its first cohort of students in 2022, expecting to recruit up to 12,500 by 2028. ARU Peterborough is not expected to receive independent degree awarding powers before 2030, when a review is to take place to determine its future as part of Anglia Ruskin University or whether it should become an independent entity.

Public Services
Healthcare is provided by Peterborough City Hospital, part of the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust.

Sport
Peterborough United Football Club, known as "The Posh", has been the local football team since 1934. They play their home matches at London Road on the south bank of the River Nene. Peterborough United have a history of cup giant-killings.Plummer, Russell Peterborough United on the FA Cup Trail, Part 1: "Sixty Years of Highlights in the Greatest Knockout Event" and Part 2: "Sunderland Disaster to Glory in Defeat at Old Trafford" , Peterborough United Football Club, 3 & 4 January 2002. They set the record for the highest number of league goals (134, alone scoring 52) in the 1960–61 season, when they won the Fourth Division title in their first season in the Football League. The club's highest finish position to date was 10th place in Division One, then the second tier of English football, in the 1992–93 season. Posh Stats and Records Peterborough United Football Club, 9 May 2007. Irish property developer Darragh MacAnthony was appointed chairman in 2006 and is now owner, having undertaken a lengthy purchase from who remains director of football, having also been manager of the club from 1996 to 2005. Peterborough also has a non-league club, Peterborough Sports, who play in the National League North.

As well as football, Peterborough has teams competing in , , , , rowing, athletics, American and Australian rules football. Although Cambridgeshire is not a first-class cricket county, Northamptonshire staged some home matches in the city between 1906 and 1974. Peterborough Town Cricket Club and the City of Peterborough Hockey Club compete at their shared ground in Westwood.Peterborough Town changed its name for the 2006/7 season following a merger with Peterborough Athletic Hockey Club, see City of Peterborough Hockey Club for more details.

After reforming in 2005, Club History Peterborough Lions Rugby Football Club (Retrieved 7 May 2015). rugby union club Peterborough Lions RFC now compete in National League 3 Midlands. Midlands Division Fixtures and Results, Rugby Football Union (Retrieved 7 May 2015). Meanwhile, the city's oldest rugby team, Peterborough RUFC, play at Second Drove (otherwise known as "Fortress Fengate"),Bath, David A History of Rugby Union in the Peterborough Area with special reference to the history of Peterborough Rugby Union Football Club An extended version of a paper delivered to the Peterborough Burgh Society, October 2002. and have struggled in recent seasons. Relegation in 2013–14 season, from Midlands 1 East, Midlands 1 East League Table, Peterborough Rugby Union Football Club (Retrieved 7 May 2015). has been followed by a season in the lower-mid table of the Midlands 2 East (South). Midlands 2 East (South) League Table, Peterborough Rugby Union Football Club (Retrieved 7 May 2015).

Peterborough City Rowing Club moved from its riverside setting to the current Thorpe Meadows location in 1983. The spring and summer regattas held there attract rowers and scullers from competing clubs all over the country. Every February the adjacent River Nene is host to the head of the river race, which again attracts hundreds of entries. "Rowing: Hunt and Gilbert strike gold for City" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 7 February 2006. Peterborough Athletic Club train and compete at the embankment athletics arena. In 2006, after 10 years, the Great Eastern Run returned to the racing calendar. Around 3,000 runners raced through the flat streets of Peterborough for the half-marathon, supported by thousands of spectators along the course. The Story Behind The Return of The Great Eastern Run Peterborough City Council (Retrieved 30 September 2007).

Peterborough Phantoms are the city's ice hockey team, playing in the NIHL at Planet Ice Peterborough, located on Mallard Way in Bretton. Motorcycle speedway is also a popular sport in Peterborough, with race meetings held at the East of England Showground. The team, known as the Peterborough Panthers, have operated regularly in the Elite League. Peterborough Speedway Showcase (Retrieved 19 March 2008). The Showground hosts the annual British Motorcycle Federation Rally each May. In 2009, Peterborough hosted one of the first rounds of the , a new series of televised town and city centre cycling races. , the city has hosted a round of the Tour Series each year since, with the exception of 2013.

In March 2017 the first session in England for over a century was held in Peterborough, in the form of . In 2018 Peterborough Bandy Club was founded. At the 2022 Women's Bandy World Championship Great Britain made its debut in the tournament, represented by a Peterborough team.

Media
There is a major radio transmitter at , approximately west of Peterborough, for national ( 1–4 and Classic FM) and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire which is the BBC Local Radio station that covers the city. This facility includes a high guyed radio mast which collapsed in 2004 after a fire and has since been re-built. "Mast fire 'could be deliberate'", BBC News Online, 1 November 2004. "Fire: Mast blaze brings radio blackout" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 1 November 2004. Another transmission site at Gunthorpe in the north east of the city transmits / and local FM radio. The site is only above sea level and has an high active insulated guyed mast situated on it.

Peterborough is covered by six local radio stations and one regional station, though only two community stations broadcast from the city. These are Salaam FM, catering for the local Muslim population, which started broadcasting in 2016 and Peterborough Community Radio (PCR FM), a station formed as a result of a merger between former internet stations Peterborough FM and Radio Peterborough, which started broadcasting in 2017.

Heart Cambridgeshire (now ), the original independent local radio station launched as Hereward Radio in 1980 and becoming Heart Peterborough in 2009,Lawrence, Kev "Goodbye Hereward Radio" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 6 January 2009. still holds a large section of the market, but relocated to Cambridge in 2012,Uren, Adam "Heart FM to leave city and go to Cambridge" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 16 September 2011. where it began sharing the localised programming (of mainly national output) with .Clarkson, Stuart "Heart Cambridgeshire to leave Peterborough" , RadioToday, 19 September 2011. Hereward's sister station, WGMS, was launched on the old 1332 kHz frequency in 1992; known as Classic Gold from 1994 to 2007, it is now part of Heart's sister Gold Radio network, but has no programming made in Peterborough. Connect Radio (from 1999 to 2010, known as Lite FM), was the city's second commercial station , but was sold and rebranded as Smooth East Midlands on 1 October 2019.

Local TV coverage is provided by BBC Look East and ITV News Anglia.

The Peterborough Telegraph (established 1948) is the city's newspaper. The Telegraph is owned by . Its website, Peterborough Today, is updated six days a week. The PT's sister paper, the Peterborough Citizen (1898), was a weekly paper delivered free to many homes in the city. The Peterborough Herald and Post (1989, a replacement for the Peterborough Standard, established 1872) ceased publication in 2008. Midland Weekly Media Trinity Mirror (Retrieved 18 September 2007). The publisher , which specialises in the production of magazines and the organisation of business events and conferences, traces its origins back to Peterborough in 1854.Newton, David Men of Mark: Makers of East Midland Allied Press Emap, Peterborough, 1977. The 33rd Mayor of Peterborough, Sir JP, founder of what would become the East Midland Allied Press, was perhaps the last person to read the in 1914.Walton, Jemma "Part 2: 'Fen men to the marrow' who have served us down through the years" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 14 June 2007.

Peterborough has been used as a location for various television programmes and films. The 1982 BBC production of The Barchester Chronicles was filmed largely in and around Peterborough. In 1983 opening scenes for the 13th film, , starring Sir , were filmed at Orton Mere. A music video for the song "BreakThru" by the band Queen was also shot on the preserved Nene Valley Railway in 1989. In 1995 filmed train crash sequences for the 17th Bond film, , at the former sugar beet factory. A scene for the film The Da Vinci Code was filmed at Burghley House during five weeks' secret filming in 2006; and actor, , found himself camping in Ferry Meadows during the filming of in 1985. "Peterborough on the big screen" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 13 June 2008. In October 2008 Hollywood returned to Wansford for the filming of the musical Nine, starring Penélope Cruz and . "Nene Valley Railway used for filming of Nine" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 7 November 2008.

Notable people
Before 1950
The philosopher, Dr Richard Cumberland, was 14th Lord Bishop of Peterborough from 1691 until his death in 1718;Parkin, Jon Cumberland, Richard (1632–1718) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 30 September 2007). and Norfolk-born nurse and humanitarian, , who received part of her education at Laurel Court in the Minster Precinct, is commemorated by a plaque in the cathedral and by the name of the hospital.Daunton, Claire Cavell, Edith Louisa (1865–1915) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 30 April 2007). A gravedigger called Old Scarlett, whose portrait can be seen above the west door of Peterborough Cathedral, is considered a folk hero. He died in 1594 at the age of 98, having spent much of his life as the sexton at Peterborough Cathedral; having buried two monarchs, he has also been suggested as the inspiration for the gravedigger in Shakespeare's . Two prominent historical figures were born locally, Hereward the Wake, an outlaw who led resistance to the Norman Conquest and now lends his name to several places and businesses in the city;Mellows, William Thomas (ed.) The Peterborough Chronicle of Hugh Candidus (p.41) Peterborough Natural History, Scientific and Archæological Society, 1941. and St. John Payne, one of the group of prominent Catholics between 1535 and 1679 and later designated the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, who was by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 and with the other 39 by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Canonizzazione di Quaranta Martiri dell’Inghilterra e del Galles Omelia del Santo Padre Paolo VI The , 25 October 1970.

Peterborough is the birthplace of many notable people, the astronomer , one of the most successful visual discoverers of and ; Obituary of George Eric Deacon Alcock Journal of the British Astronomical Association, vol.111 no.2 (pp.64–66) February 2001. , from Helpston, the nineteenth century poet;Robinson, Eric H. Clare, John (1793–1864) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 10 September 2007). artist, Christopher Perkins – brother of Frank;Collins, R. D. J. Perkins, Christopher Edward (1891–1968) Dictionary of New Zealand Biography vol.4 Auckland University Press, 1998. and Sir , 1st of Seaton, engineer and co-founder of .Jeremy, David J. Royce, Sir (Frederick) Henry, baronet (1863–1933) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 10 September 2007). Physician, actor and author, "Sir" John Hill, credited with 76 separate works in the Dictionary of National Biography, the most valuable of which dealing with , is also said to have been born here.O'Connor, Barry Hill, Sir John (bap. 1714, d. 1775) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 30 September 2007). The socialist writer and illustrator, Frank Horrabin, who was born in the city, and was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament in 1929.Cole, Margaret Horrabin, James Francis (1884–1962) (rev. Amanda L. Capern) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 6 October 2007).

After 1950
Musicians include Sir Thomas Armstrong, organist, conductor and former principal of the Royal Academy of Music;, percussionist; Armstrong, Sir Thomas Henry Wait (1898–1994) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004 (subscription required . Retrieved 24 April 2007). Andy Bell, lead vocalist of the duo Erasure; "Erasure uncovered in Norwich", BBC News Online, 10 February 2003. Barrie Forgie, leader of the BBC Big Band; The Barry Forgie Orchestra Vinyl Vulture (Retrieved 24 April 2007). , trombonist and former professor of the Royal College of Music and the School of Music;Voce, Steve "Obituary of Gordon Douglas Lusher" , The Independent, London, 7 July 2006. , actor and singer; Biography of Paul Nicholas Internet Movie Database (Retrieved 24 April 2007). Maxim and of Montalbano, Dan "The city of Hereward the Wake" , The Independent, London, 31 August 2006. and of -winning pop group JLS. "X Factor: Aston Merrygold and The JLS journey" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 27 October 2008. Comedian lived on Thorpe Avenue for many years, next door to Canadian baritone and actor .Patrick, Neil "Obituary of Edmund Hockridge: Canadian actor and singer whose life story read like the script of a musical" , The Guardian, London and Manchester, 18 March 2009. also lived in the city in the early 1990s.

Other media personalities include actors , known for the 'Hellraiser' franchise, , director of , Oscar Jacques, known for playing Tom Tupper in the CBBC Series M.I. High, , known for his roles in Skins and The Musketeers;Reinis, Nick "Luke lands a skate role in E4's Skins" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 22 January 2009. television presenter, , who grew up in Maxey; "Inside out: Health Check – Sarah Cawood (Features)" , Liverpool Daily Post, 3 February 2004. BBC presenter, ; "Peterborough's famous faces", Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 4 August 2009. football journalist and radio presenter, ;Kirby, Terry "Author in a Spot of Bother for 'horrible' view of Peterborough" , The Independent, London, 31 August 2006. and the biologist, author and broadcaster, Prof. Brian J. Ford, who attended the King's School and still lives in Eastrea near Whittlesey.Pearson, Mark "Teaching via the Internet" , Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 7 October 2005 (facsimile of p.23 from the Brian J. Ford Website. Retrieved 24 April 2007). Local businessman, , founder of the restaurant chain and Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, has supported the cultural and sporting life of Peterborough and received its highest accolade, the freedom of the city.Muir, Jonny "Five are honoured with freedom nominations", Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 4 October 2007. The victim , subject of the 1979 film On Giant's Shoulders, was born in the city.

In the sporting world, former Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer, , was born in the city, Profile for David Bentley ESPNsoccernet (Retrieved 27 May 2007). as was Louis Smith, who at the 2008 games became Great Britain's first gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal in a century. "Smith wins historic bronze for GB", BBC News Online, 17 August 2008. Chelsea Football player, currently on loan at footballer , was born in Peterborough, before joining Leicester City and later West Bromwich Albion, becoming the second youngest player to play in the Premier League. Harry Wells, a player for in Premiership Rugby, was born in Peterborough and attended The King's (The Cathedral) School.

Freedom of the City
The following people, military units and organisations and groups have received the Freedom of the City of Peterborough.

Individuals

Military units
  • : 1983.
  • 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers): 25 July 2009.
  • 115 (Peterborough) Squadron Air Training Corps: 28 April 2014.

Organisations and groups
  • The Salvation Army (Peterborough Branch): 4 March 2015.
  • Royal British Legion (Peterborough Branch): 28 July 2021.

Notes
Footnotes
Bibliography
  • Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire HMSO, London, 1994.
  • Banham, John Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin HMSO, London, 1995.
  • Bennett, Jack Arthur Walter Middle English Literature (ed. and completed by Douglas Gray) Oxford University Press, 1986 ().
  • Brandon, David and Knight, John Peterborough Past: The City and The Soke Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 2001 ().
  • Chisholm, Hugh (ed.) Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed., 28 vols.) Cambridge University Press, 1911 (text in the public domain).
  • Clark, Cecily (ed.) The Peterborough Chronicle 1070–1154 Oxford University Press, 1958 ().
  • Colpi, Terry The Italian Factor: The Italian Community in Great Britain Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 1991 ().
  • Davies, Elizabeth et al. Peterborough: A Story of City and Country, People and Places Peterborough City Council and Pitkin Unichrome, 2001 ().
  • Garmonsway, George Norman (trans.) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1972 & 1975 ().
  • Grainger, Margaret A Descriptive Catalogue of the John Clare Collection Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, 1973 ().
  • Hancock, Henry Drummond Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (LGCE Report No.3) HMSO, London, 1961.
  • Hancock, Henry Drummond Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (LGCE Report No.9) HMSO, London, 1965.
  • Hancock, Tom Greater Peterborough Master Plan Peterborough Development Corporation, 1971.
  • Ingram, James Henry (trans.) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1823 (1847 Everyman's Library ed. with additional readings from the translation of John Allen Giles).
  • King, Richard John Handbook to the Cathedrals of England John Murray, London, 1862.
  • Labrum, Edward A. Civil Engineering Heritage: Eastern and Central England Thomas Telford, London, 1994 ().
  • Leatham, Victoria Burghley: The Life of a Great House The Herbert Press, London, 1992 ().
  • and Harrison, Brian Howard (eds.) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (60 vols.) Oxford University Press in association with the British Academy, 2004–2006 ().
  • Mellows, William Thomas (ed.) The Chronicle of Hugh Candidus a Monk of Peterborough, Oxford University Press, 1949 (scholarly ed. in ).
  • Mellows, William Thomas (ed.) The Peterborough Chronicle of Hugh Candidus (trans.) Peterborough Natural History, Scientific and Archæological Society, 1941 (popular ed. in English).
  • Newton, David Men of Mark: Makers of East Midland Allied Press Emap, Peterborough, 1977 ().
  • Parthey, Gustav and Pinder, Moritz (eds.) Itinerarivm Antonini Avgvsti et Hierosolymitanum: ex libris manu scriptis Friederich Nicolaus, Berlin, 1848.
  • Pryor, Francis Flag Fen: Life and Death of a Prehistoric Landscape Tempus Publishing, Stroud, 2005 ().
  • Rhodes, John The Nene Valley Railway Turntable Publications, Sheffield, 1976 ().
  • Salter, Mike The Castles of East Anglia Folly Publications, Malvern, 2001 ().
  • Skinner, Julia (with particular reference to the work of Robert Cook) Did You Know? Peterborough: A Miscellany The Francis Frith Collection, Salisbury, 2006 ().
  • Sweeting, Walter Debenham The Cathedral Church of Peterborough: A Description of its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See G. Bell & Sons, London, 1898 (1926 reprint of the 2nd ed. of Bell's Cathedrals).
  • Tebbs, Herbert F. Peterborough: A History The Oleander Press, Cambridge, 1979 ().
  • Turner, Roger Capability Brown and the Eighteenth Century English Landscape Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 1999 ().
  • Youngs, Frederic A. Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England (2 vols.) The Offices of the Royal Historical Society, University College London, 1991 ().

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