A quiet but remarkable part of Peterborough Cathedral is offering a rare glimpse into the city’s past, as interest grows in the Cathedral Library and Archive and the stories it holds.
As part of ongoing work to uncover and share Peterborough’s lesser-seen heritage, the Discover Peterborough team has been exploring seldom visited and often hidden spaces across the city. The Cathedral Library and Archive is one of the most significant of these, a place where centuries of history are preserved just steps away from the cathedral’s more familiar public areas.
The collection spans hundreds of years, bringing together manuscripts, records, and printed works that chart the life of the cathedral and its community. While much of this history remains carefully protected, the library is occasionally opened to the public, giving visitors a rare opportunity to experience this unique environment first-hand.
Beyond the cathedral itself, the story extends to Cambridge University Library, where a substantial portion of Peterborough’s earliest material is held. The Rare Books Collection there includes nearly 4,500 volumes originating from the cathedral, among them around 60 incunabula (books printed before 1501, in the earliest days of printing). These works provide an extraordinary insight into the intellectual and religious life of the medieval period.
Together, the collections in Peterborough and Cambridge form a shared archive of national importance, connecting the city to a much wider scholarly and cultural landscape.
Yet it is not only the scale of the collection that captures attention, but also its sense of mystery. Hidden behind an illustration of Old Scarlett, the cathedral’s legendary gravedigger, sits a locked metal box that has not been opened in living memory. Its contents remain unknown, adding a layer of intrigue to a space already rich in history.
For Discover Peterborough, moments like this are at the heart of a wider effort to reveal the city in new ways. By opening up stories and spaces that are often overlooked, the aim is to deepen understanding of Peterborough’s heritage and invite both residents and visitors to see the city with fresh eyes.
Further opportunities to access the Cathedral Library and Archive are expected to be announced periodically, offering more people the chance to step inside one of Peterborough’s most quietly extraordinary places.
