Peterborough's history

However, Peterborough’s recorded history did not begin until around 43 AD when the Romans established a fortress here. This grew into a substantial fortified town known as Durobrivae which was a major industrial centre for the production of pottery.

In 654 AD Peterborough – then known as Medehampstede – was chosen by Paeda, King of Mercia, as the site for a monastery. Although no trace of the Saxon buildings remains above ground it was the monastery which gave rise to our present Norman cathedral with its celebrated west front and painted ceiling.

The building played a role in the events surrounding the dissolution of the monasteries when in 1536 it became the burial place of Katharine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII.

The cathedral also provided a temporary tomb for Mary Queen of Scots, who was executed at nearby Fotheringhay in 1587 on the orders of Queen Elizabeth I.

Under Puritan rule Oliver Cromwell's Lord Chief Justice, Oliver St John, selected Peterborough for construction of a mansion called Thorpe Hall, which remains one of the finest examples of Commonwealth architecture in existence.

Peterborough was transformed from market town to an industrial centre with the arrival of the steam railway in the 1840s. A century later, half the city's working population was employed in manufacturing industries.

Another major change came in 1967 when a government-appointed New Town development corporation began the construction of three new townships and the creation of thousands of new jobs in just 20 years, resulting in a rapid growth of the population from 81,000 to 155,000 people.

Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery provides a fascinating insight into the area’s rich history from the Roman era to the 20th century.

The future:

New residents have been moving to Peterborough at least since the start of our recorded history at the time of the Roman invasion.

We still have the assets which attracted the Romans two millennia ago – things such as fertile countryside alongside an attractive river and easy communications with the rest of the country.

Today, Peterborough is a dynamic business centre populated by people who clearly believe that this is a great place to live and work. We are now embarking on another period of rapid growth and development during which we will be welcoming many thousands more new residents.