admin - Discover Peterborough

Louis Smith

Peterborough-born Louis Smith MBE helped transform the fortunes and public profile of British men’s gymnastics, winning four Olympic medals and becoming one of the finest pommel horse specialists of his generation.

Jake Humphrey

Born in Peterborough in 1978, Jake Humphrey went from CBBC to anchoring BBC Formula One, Premier League football, and the High Performance Podcast.

Andy Bell

Born Andrew Ivan Bell in Peterborough in 1964, Andy Bell rose to international fame as the lead singer of synth-pop duo Erasure.

Maxim (Keith Andrew Palmer)

Maxim developed his voice in the city’s reggae sound-system culture before becoming the MC and vocalist of The Prodigy.

Lagoon by Sir Anthony Caro (1976/7)

Standing just over two metres high on the forecourt of the Key Theatre, Lagoon is an inviting piece of modern British sculpture by Sir Anthony Caro, one of the country’s most influential post-war artists. Made from interlocking sheets of mild steel, bolted and welded...

St Botolph’s Church, Helpston

St Botolph’s Church, Helpston, is a beautiful medieval parish church entwined with the life and poetry of John Clare. It remains a place of peace, reflection, and literary pilgrimage within Peterborough’s tranquil Clare Country landscape.

Untitled by Miles Davies (1990)

Positioned along the north path, this arrangement of steel frames punctuates the journey between the busy parkway and the peaceful lake. Its weathering surface mirrors the seasonal changes of the surrounding trees and grasses. About the Artist: Miles Davies (b. 1959)...

Odd Oaks by Nicholas Pope (1982)

Four giant wooden “acorns” lie nestled into the landscape, echoing the trees and natural forms around them. Once sited in Werrington Shopping Centre, Odd Oaks was later moved to Thorpe Meadows, where it has been left to age naturally – slowly returning to the...

Quarry by Simon Perry (1987)

Half-emerging from the stone that contains it, a wolf-like figure recalls a time when wolves roamed Britain. The limestone links to the site’s quarrying history, while the creature now stands guard over the meadows. About the Artist: Simon Perry is a British-born...

Little Prince by Jane Ackroyd (1985)

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...

Helios XVI by Barry Mason (1987)

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...

Untitled by Miles Davies (1990)

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 Davies...

Under the Ocean, Under the Sea – Christine Angus (1983)

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) is...

Festival Boat by Sokari Douglas Camp (1988)

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 –...

Creature by Anne Nicholson (1978)

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...

Larry Taylor (1918–2003)

Peterborough-born Larry Taylor was one of British cinema’s dependable character actors and stunt performers, building a screen career that stretched from post-war films to international productions made in South Africa.

Katherine of Aragon (1485–1536)

A Spanish princess, Queen of England, diplomat, regent and mother of Mary I, Catherine of Aragon became one of the defining figures of Tudor history. Her burial at Peterborough in 1536 gave the city an enduring connection with a queen whose struggle changed England.

Sir Henry Hodge (1944–2009)

Born in Peterborough in 1944, Sir Henry Hodge devoted his career to making justice accessible before becoming only the third solicitor appointed as a High Court judge in England and Wales.

Paul Nicholas

Born in Peterborough, Paul Nicholas is an actor, singer, director and producer whose career has moved remarkably freely between pop music, landmark West End musicals, film, television comedy and theatre production. From playing Jesus and the Rum Tum Tugger to winning a BAFTA as Vince Pinner, he has remained a familiar presence in British entertainment for more than six decades.

Eric Dodson (1920–2000)

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.

James Blades (1901-1999)

From a working-class Peterborough childhood and an engineering apprenticeship to concert halls, film studios and broadcasts heard across wartime Europe, James Blades OBE transformed the place of percussion in British musical life.

George Alcock (1912–2000)

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.