Drawing on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved tale, Little Prince incorporates symbols from the story – a tree, an asteroid, a pyramid – into an abstract steel composition. The work celebrates curiosity, love, and our connection to nature. About the Artist: Jane...
Marking the summer solstice, Helios XVI aligns with the sun so that its face is fully lit only on the longest day of the year. The carved sphere at its top suggests the Earth, linking cosmic cycles to our daily experience of light and time. About the Artist: Barry...
A sequence of hinged steel “doorways” stands in the landscape, framing shifting views of the rowing lake and city beyond. The precision-cut steel – shaped using lasers in a water tank – gives the piece a refined, architectural presence. About the Artist: Miles...
Three carved limestone forms evoke the remains of a lost civilisation beneath the waves. Their weathered, archaeological feel connects both to Peterborough’s ancient past and to the life-giving River Nene flowing nearby. About the Artist: Christine Angus (b. 1953)...
Commissioned for the 1989 Festival of Sculpture, Festival Boat is a celebration of culture and place. Resting on the riverbank, its sweeping form draws on the ceremonial boats of the artist’s native Nigeria, reimagined in a British landscape. It speaks of journeys...
Carved from a single block of warm Clipsham stone, Creature is deliberately ambiguous. Seen from different angles, its form shifts – now animal-like, now abstract – encouraging visitors to interpret it in their own way. The mix of hand carving and machine cuts adds...
Character actor Larry Taylor was born in Peterborough and went on to enjoy a long career in British film and television. Often cast in supporting or background roles, he appeared in a wide variety of productions from the 1960s through the 1980s, bringing a...
Born in Spain, Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of King Henry VIII and Queen of England from 1509 to 1533. A daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, she was renowned for her education, piety, and political acumen. Her marriage...
Born in Peterborough, Sir Henry Hodge became one of the UK’s most respected and progressive legal minds, dedicating his career to championing the causes of children, immigrants, and disadvantaged communities. Educated at Oxford, he began his career with the Child...
Born in Peterborough, Paul Nicholas is a multi-talented actor, singer, and producer whose career has spanned stage, screen, and music for more than five decades. He first found fame in the 1960s as a pop singer, enjoying chart success with hits like Reggae Like It...
Born in Peterborough, Eric Dodson was a versatile British character actor whose warm, authoritative presence made him a familiar face on television and film from the 1960s through the 1980s. After serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, Dodson...
Born in Peterborough, James Blades became one of the world’s most respected percussionists and an influential teacher whose students shaped orchestras across the globe. He began his musical journey locally, playing in brass bands before moving on to formal training...
Born and raised in Peterborough, George Alcock was one of Britain’s most remarkable amateur astronomers, celebrated for discovering five comets and several bright novae with nothing more than patient observation and an extraordinary memory for the night sky. A...
Although born in Swardeston, Norfolk, Edith Cavell’s story has strong roots in Peterborough. As a young woman she attended Laurel Court School, set within the precincts of Peterborough Cathedral, where she was taught music, drawing, English literature, and modern...
Born in Alwalton, near Peterborough, Sir Frederick Henry Royce rose from humble beginnings to become one of Britain’s most celebrated engineers. Apprenticed in the railway works at Peterborough before moving to London, Royce developed a talent for precision...
Transforming the entrance to Cowgate, this large-scale mural reimagines a historic watercolour of the street as it looked in the 1930s. Created by renowned Peterborough street artists Nathan Murdoch and Tony Nero, the work blends fine detail with bold colour,...
Dame Elisabeth Frink’s Wild Boar is a striking bronze that captures the animal’s primal energy and unyielding presence. With bristling texture, tense muscles, and a purposeful stride, the sculpture conveys both physical strength and untamed spirit. Frink’s...
Covering the entire river-facing frontage of Bridge House, the Mitchell Engineering Mural was one of Peterborough’s most distinctive pieces of post-war public art. Designed and carved in situ by Arthur J. Ayres in 1955, the monumental bas-relief stretched across 51...
Poised with wings outstretched and prize catch in beak, Elizabeth Cooke’s Cormorant captures the grace of a bird often seen around Nene Park’s waterways. Created from recycled metal objects, the sculpture combines delicate shaping with a sense of movement frozen in...
Inspired by the fleeting image of two figures reflected in water, People stands close to the lapping edges of the rowing lake. As the light shifts and breezes ripple the surface, the sculpture subtly changes, echoing the movements of walkers, cyclists, and rowers...
As you stroll the Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail, Outside In is a compelling welcome. Crafted from folded and interlocked steel, this sculptural form seems to defy its own weight—appearing supple, almost fabric‑like, despite its industrial origins. Conceived as...
High above the streets of Peterborough, three quiet figures stand watch. At first, they can be easy to miss, blending into the skyline of rooftops and façades. But once noticed, they change the way you see the city. These are Places to Be by Antony Gormley, a...
Frank Roper’s aluminium Crucifixion, suspended above the nave altar in Peterborough Cathedral, is a striking example of mid-20th-century ecclesiastical art. Cast using Roper’s innovative lost-polystyrene technique, the figure of Christ is rendered with a stark,...
The entrance to Priestgate now boasts a stunning heritage-inspired mural, completed in 2025 by acclaimed street artists Nathan Murdoch and Tony Nero in partnership with Peterborough Positive. Drawing from a 1930s watercolour by celebrated local artist Wilfrid René...