Ethel Granger (1905-1982)
Ethel Granger held the record for the smallest waist ever recorded, measured at 13 inches in Peterborough in 1939. A corsetier, motorcyclist and true original.
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Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne is a Peterborough-born film director, producer and screenwriter whose work helped define the look and mood of mainstream cinema in the 1980s and 1990s.
John Davys Beresford (1873-1947)
Born at Castor Rectory and educated partly in Peterborough, John Davys Beresford became a prolific novelist, critic and speculative writer whose imagined superchildren, pandemics and dystopian societies helped shape early British science fiction.
Neil Hubbard
Neil Hubbard is one of British popular music’s most respected guitarists. From his formative years as a Peterborough Cathedral chorister and King’s School pupil, his precise, soulful playing carried him into Bluesology, Juicy Lucy, the Grease Band, Kokomo, Roxy Music and an exceptional catalogue of session work.
David Lammy
A former Peterborough Cathedral chorister and Head Boy at The King’s School, David Lammy went on to become a barrister, author, long-serving Member of Parliament and one of the most prominent British politicians of his generation.
Gray Jolliffe
Gray Jolliffe is a British illustrator and cartoonist whose distinctive humour and visual style have made him a recognisable figure in British publishing and popular culture. Born Graham Jolliffe in 1937, he studied at The King’s School in Peterborough before...
Frank Close OBE
Peterborough-born physicist Professor Frank Close OBE FRS has spent his career investigating the fundamental structure of matter and helping millions of readers, viewers and listeners understand some of science’s most challenging ideas.
Peter Boizot (1929-2018)
Peter Boizot was one of Peterborough’s great originals: an entrepreneur, restaurateur, philanthropist, art collector, jazz promoter, football club owner and determined champion of his home city. Best known nationally as the founder of PizzaExpress, he later invested his money, energy and imagination in Peterborough’s buildings, heritage, culture and sporting life.
Queensgate Series by Roy Butchart
These beautiful paintings by Roy Butchart (1 March 1925 – 27 April 2016) aren’t on public display, so for many people, this may be the first time they've seen his work. That makes them feel even more special – a hidden thread of local artistic heritage, quietly...
Wings Over the Nene: The Extraordinary Life of Walter Cornelius
Walter Cornelius was born in 1923 into a Latvia that was, for a brief and precious moment, at peace. The country had declared independence in 1918, and the years that followed brought a fragile but genuine stability. For Walter's family, life on a Latvian farm was...
Peterborough’s Medieval Masterpiece: The Peterborough Bestiary
Imagine an encyclopaedia of the natural world — lions, camels, serpents, dolphins, dragons and unicorns — painted in brilliant colours, shimmering with gold leaf, and imbued with moral lessons drawn from every creature it portrays. Created in Peterborough around...
The Painted Tower: Conservation in Context at Longthorpe
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Longthorpe is one of Peterborough’s most extraordinary historic sites. Longthorpe Tower may appear modest from the outside, but within its walls lies a rare and remarkable collection of medieval wall paintings that have survived for...
Dinosaur City: A Prehistoric Adventure Across Peterborough
At the heart of Dinosaur City, an extraordinary sight awaits. A colossal Titanosaur — one of the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth — takes centre stage inside the stunning surroundings of Peterborough Cathedral. Standing beneath its vast frame, you begin to...
Alfred Nicholson Leeds (1847–1917)
Alfred Nicholson Leeds (1847–1917) was a pioneering British fossil collector whose work transformed our understanding of Jurassic marine life.
A Giant from Deep Time is Coming to Peterborough Cathedral
Seeing Is Believing: Experience the Natural History Museum’s Titanosaur at Peterborough Cathedral 13th April - 31st May 2026 Inside the soaring stone vaults of Peterborough Cathedral, visitors will soon be able to stand beneath one of the largest animals ever to walk...
SEEING IS BELIEVING: TITANOSAUR COMES TO THE CATHEDRAL
In April, Peterborough Cathedral will host Titanosaur – a chance to stand, quite literally, in the shadow of the Late Cretaceous Period. The colossal Patagotitan mayorum – the most complete giant dinosaur ever discovered – will stand within the Cathedral’s vast...
Nene Park’s Heron Meadow: Big Skies, Quiet Water, Wild Moments
You know that feeling when the city noise fades and the air seems to open up around you? That is what greets you at Heron Meadow. A short walk from the busier paths of Nene Park, the landscape shifts. The ground dips gently towards the river. Reeds whisper in the...
Rare Wildflowers, Roman Stone and Rolling Limestone: Discover Barnack Hills & Holes
Ancient limestone mounds, rare orchids and Roman quarrying combine at Barnack Hills & Holes. Set within Clare Country, this remarkable nature reserve reveals the geological and cultural foundations of Peterborough, offering wildflower meadows, open skies and centuries of layered history.
Ernie Wise (1925 – 1999)
Ernie Wise, one half of the legendary comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, had a quiet but meaningful connection to Peterborough.
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...
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.