A city with more than one story
Peterborough sits on the River Nene in Cambridgeshire, where a busy city centre meets a landscape of parks, lakes and villages. Cathedral Square is a good place to begin exploring, but it is only part of the picture. Everyday life also happens in the shops, schools, workplaces and community spaces of neighbourhoods such as Bretton, Werrington, Fletton and Stanground.
This independent directory brings together businesses and community organisations across Peterborough and nearby areas. Use it to look for a local service, then contact the business directly to check that it can help.
The cathedral at the heart of the city
Peterborough Cathedral is an active place of worship with more than 900 years of history. Much of the building is Norman, while the remarkable west front belongs to a later architectural chapter: its three huge pointed arches make it an unmistakable city landmark. Katharine of Aragon is buried here.
Leave time to look beyond the frontage. A visit can take in the interior, precinct and, when available, guided tours. Worship, exhibitions and events affect access, so check the cathedral's current visitor information rather than assuming every part is always open.
A much older landscape
Flag Fen tells the story of a Bronze Age wetland landscape and a timber causeway built around 3,500 years ago. Its archaeology and reconstructed features offer different ways to understand the past; a reconstructed roundhouse is not an original surviving building.
For a broader introduction, Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery on Priestgate brings together local history, archaeology and art. Jurassic marine reptiles and objects made by Napoleonic prisoners at Norman Cross sit alongside evidence of prehistoric and Roman life.
The river, parks and places around us
Ferry Meadows is a major destination within the wider Nene Park, not another name for the whole park. Lakes, meadows and woodland make it a useful contrast to the streets of the centre. Plan a separate outing if you want time for a walk, cycling or an organised activity.
Our local coverage also includes Eye, Thorney, Glinton and Helpston. Each has its own shops, services and community life. Peterborough City Council is the unitary authority for the city area, combining county- and district-level responsibilities; being geographically in Cambridgeshire does not put Peterborough's ordinary services under the county council.
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