Ernie Wise (1925 – 1999)
Ernie Wise, one half of the legendary comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, had a quiet but meaningful connection to Peterborough.
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Edmund Hockridge (1919-2009)
Edmund Hockridge was an internationally acclaimed singer and actor with deep roots in Peterborough.
L P Hartley (1895-1972)
Born in Whittlesey and raised at Fletton Towers in Peterborough, L. P. Hartley became an award-winning novelist, critic and master of psychological unease. His most famous novel, The Go-Between, gave English literature one of its most enduring descriptions of the power of the past.
L P Hartley Mural by Nathan Murdoch (2024)
TThis vibrant mural on Bread Street celebrates Leslie Poles Hartley (1895–1972), one of Peterborough’s most distinguished literary figures and a native son of the region. Born in nearby Whittlesey and raised at Fletton Towers in Peterborough, Hartley developed a...
Peterborough enters the UK City of Culture 2029 race
Peterborough has today confirmed that it is entering the race to become UK City of Culture 2029, with an Expression of Interest (EOI) being submitted to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The bid is being led by Peterborough City Council, working alongside...
Changing the Story
The Great Fen, one of the UK’s most innovative habitat restoration initiatives, is altering perspectives on a previously overlooked and undervalued landscape. The Moment discovers how this partnership project is providing a natural solution to the climate crisis and encouraging connections between local communities and their countryside once again.
TONY NERO – HALF A PENCIL
There are certain figures in Peterborough’s cultural landscape whose presence is as enduring as the city’s own heritage – their work a thread that quietly binds together festivals, galleries, and the communities who gather around them.
The Church of St Kyneburgha
The Church of St Kyneburgha is a remarkable Grade I listed building with Roman, Saxon and Norman stonework and a celebrated Norman tower. Situated on a Roman palace site, it has been a place of worship since the 4th century and boasts a roof carved with 60 angels.
The Great Fen
A vast landscape of sky, water and wild beauty, The Great Fen is one of Britain’s most ambitious conservation projects — reconnecting ancient wetlands and wildlife habitats between Peterborough and Huntingdon. Explore boardwalks, bird hides and sweeping fenland views alive with nature.
Stanground Wash
A serene floodplain reserve where river, meadow and sky meet. Managed by the Wildlife Trust, Stanground Wash offers peaceful walks, abundant birdlife and seasonal wetlands that come alive each spring and winter — a quiet gem on the city’s southern edge.
Elton Hall
Elton Hall is a romantic part Gothic house, home to the Proby family for over 400 years. Explore grand state rooms, rare art and manuscripts, and enchanting formal gardens that reflect centuries of heritage, elegance and care near Peterborough.
Wheel of the Senses
Discover the Wheel of Senses — a vivid medieval mural hidden within Longthorpe Tower. Painted around 1330, it depicts a wheel turning on the axis of human perception, each spoke representing sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This remarkable artwork reveals how our senses were seen as pathways to wisdom and temptation.
Burghley House
Burghley House is one of England’s grandest Elizabethan estates, blending majestic architecture, art, and parkland. Discover opulent staterooms, explore centuries of family history, wander the sculpture gardens and Capability Brown landscapes, and enjoy a full calendar of seasonal events, exhibitions, and country fairs.
Norman Cross
Norman Cross, just outside Peterborough, is a scheduled monument and the site of the world’s first purpose built prisoner of war camp during the Napoleonic Wars of the late 1700s. Nene Park Trust has now taken ownership of the site to preserve it and share its story.
Funding Boost Secures Bright Future for Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery
Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery has received a £168,000 grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Museum Renewal Fund — a national programme designed to help museums build resilience, improve accessibility, and develop new ways to welcome...
Walter Cornelius Mural by Nathan Murdoch (2025)
This bold, larger-than-life mural celebrates Walter Cornelius – the legendary “Birdman of Peterborough” – in the city he called home. Known for his daring stunts, feats of strength, and famous attempts to “fly” across the River Nene using handmade wings, Cornelius was...
Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail
The Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail weaves through one of Peterborough’s most picturesque green spaces, offering a unique blend of outdoor art and waterside scenery.
All Aboard for the Station Quarter Transformation
Peterborough is set to welcome an exciting new era of connectivity, beauty, and opportunity. The Station Quarter regeneration project has officially secured £47.8 million in government funding, as part of a wider £65 million investment that will completely transform...
Old Scarlett (c.1496-1594)
Robert “Old Scarlett” was Peterborough’s long-serving Tudor sexton, remembered for tending the city’s dead and helping to inter Katharine of Aragon and Mary, Queen of Scots. The two royal burials took place 51 years apart, making his life an extraordinary human thread running through one of the most turbulent centuries in English history.
John Clare (1793–1864)
John Clare (1793–1864) is celebrated as one of England’s finest rural poets, famed for capturing the beauty of the countryside and the voices of rural life with rare authenticity.
Walter Cornelius (c. 1923–1983)
Walter Cornelius was Peterborough’s strongman, swimming teacher, charity daredevil and unforgettable “Birdman”. Behind the homemade wings and impossible-looking feats was a Latvian refugee whose extraordinary journey carried him through occupation and war before he found a permanent home beside the River Nene.
John Fletcher (1579–1625)
Raised for part of his childhood within Peterborough’s Cathedral precincts, John Fletcher became the leading dramatist of the King’s Men after Shakespeare and one of the most successful playwrights of the Jacobean stage.
Dr Thomas James Walker (1835-1916)
A pioneering surgeon at Peterborough Infirmary, now the Museum, from 1862 to 1906.