Peterborough Telegraph articles 2024

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Time to celebrate the ordinary	ARU Peterborough a welcome addition	My top ten favourite Peterborough places	Civic Pride requires effort by all of us	Stagecoach 65 years apart!	Central Park an appreciation

Will our city centre cease to be a retail attraction?	The Twenty required 'C's for Peterborough	Our ever-changing city is all mapped out

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Time to celebrate the ordinary

This article was first published in the 18 January 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

As part of my work for the Civic Society I give talks in and around Peterborough about our blue plaques, currently 36 in all. Although the groups that I talk mainly consist of elderly folk, let that not detract from the fact that the individuals themselves are keen, enthusiastic, and, above all, eager to be part of an active and thriving Peterborough. These people want the best for the city – they have the best interests of the city at heart. They are not wealthy or famous. But what they are is solid, dependable, reliable and, dare I say it, ordinary.

So, this month, I want to celebrate the ‘ordinary’ people of Peterborough. You won’t generally read or hear much about these ordinary people. The very fact that individuals are mentioned in places such as the Peterborough Telegraph means that, for whatever reasons, they stand out from the crowd and therefore cease to be ‘ordinary’. Nevertheless the vast majority of the population isn’t well-known, hasn’t committed a crime or received an award. But that doesn’t mean that many of those people aren’t indeed special within their own families and communities.

So what do these ‘ordinary people want Peterborough to be like? The old cliché is that people just want their streets to be clean and their bins emptied. This is undoubtedly true but we can all demonstrate behaviours that not only benefit ourselves but also show concern for others. We can all individually play our part in ensuring that Peterborough is a clean, attractive and civilised place to live. Much of what we can do is ridiculously simple – make sure all litter goes in the bin, keep our house frontages clean and tidy, drive down roads within speed limits, speak to each other is polite ways – much of what I am mentioning here is glaringly obvious.


Elvis Chris Lambert street sweeper thanks to Chris Porsz	Peterborough Litter Wombles	Peterborough RiverCare

Of course there are limits to what individual ordinary people can achieve. That is why we elect local councillors to not only represent our views but also to take on issues on our behalf. This casework element of being a local councillor is undertaken in the background and often goes unheralded. I for one appreciate these quiet efforts. I also appreciate it when the Council, individually and collectively, listen to the views of constituents. Naturally many of us want the Council to act in a variety of different ways and it is almost impossible for councillors to accommodate all our views. The dark cloud of budget constraints hangs over every decision. I recognise how difficult this can be. Many years ago, when I worked for Peterborough City Council’s Children’s Services, I often had plans that were scuppered when it suddenly became legally necessary to place a child out of the city at a cost of up to £200,000 per year. I’m sure this is still true today, in fact the budgetary constraints are probably even worse than a few years ago. However, now that we’re in early 2024, let us hope that Peterborough City Council, both as an entity and as individual councillors, is able to listen to ordinary people and to make decisions that, even though we might not agree with them, give us confidence that the city is moving forward in a climate of positive cooperation.

*******

ARU Peterborough has won a number of awards during the past year, all of which demonstrate that our long-awaited university is certainly having a positive impact on the city and its people. Most recently Anglia Ruskin University, with campuses at Cambridge, Chelmsford and Peterborough, has been named the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. Congratulations must go to all concerned. The Civic Society is proud to be associated with the university. At 7.30 pm on Monday 11th March we have our annual keynote lecture at the University featuring Dr Anna Keay OBE, Director of the Landmark Trust, talking about ‘Living Landmarks: Buildings and History past and present’. Booking is currently only open to Society members so why not join! to be sure you do not miss out. After 12th February we will be accepting bookings from the general public subject to spaces being available, so visit our homepage for booking information after that date.

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ARU Peterborough, a welcome addition to the city

This article was first published in the 15 February 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

On a couple of occasions during 2023 I was asked by Jamie Jones, vice-principal at ARU Peterborough, our still-new university, if I would take groups of visitors for an hour-long walk around Peterborough city centre. Of course I was delighted to be asked. The groups comprised about thirty people who were attending day conferences at the university and who needed a break at lunchtime to both recharge their batteries and to enjoy lungs full of Peterborough air. What was noticeable about these groups was that between a third and a half of attendees had never been to Peterborough before. Nearly all had attended conferences or meetings at either Cambridge of Chelmsford, Anglia Ruskin University’s other campuses, and some had previously travelled through Peterborough on the train or spent a brief time here changing trains.

During these city centre walks we sauntered through Bishop’s Gardens, the Cathedral cloisters, past the Cathedral west front, into Cathedral Square, past the Guildhall, down Bridge Street and then a quick look at the Embankment and the Lido. At the end of the tour nearly everyone said to me things like, “I never knew that you had so much here”, “Wow – that Cathedral front is special” and even “I must come back here for a long day trip or even a weekend”.

Ed. When walking around keep your eyes open for our Blue Plaques and our earlier stainless steel plaques. Do visit our plaques pages (follow link) for more information.

Now, at this point, gnarled old Peterborough cynics might chunter on about the number of empty shops, people sleeping in doorways or rubbish often littering the streets. I cannot pretend that these things don’t happen, they do. However, I defy anyone to stand on Cathedral Square, look around and not be impressed by what they see. We undoubtedly have an interesting, historic city centre.

Peterborough does have so much to offer and there are certainly great possibilities ahead, including the new Station Quarter, Northminster development as well as future proposed improvements to the Embankment/Fletton Quays area. (Incidentally, we are pleased to hear that at long last the subsidence at Henry Penn Walk is to be sorted out).

So, back to the university. The Civic Society is thrilled that ARU Peterborough has had such a successful start and is already picking up awards. If I were a youngster again, I would love to undertake a course there – I speak as someone who trained to be a teacher from 1969-72 but never got my hands on an actual degree (despite later becoming a headteacher in a profession that now requires degrees!).

We look forward to the time when there is even more collaboration between ARU and Peterborough residents. Who knows – there could soon be even more instances where Peterborough people and ARU staff and students can interact and work together for mutual benefit. The possibilities are many and varied. The university is a wonderful addition that enriches our city. Perhaps the best way I can describe its impact is that it’s a bit like finding a new colour that nobody has discovered before. Our city is now even richer than it was before. Visit if you can.

The Civic Society is proud to be associated with ARU Peterborough. At 7.30 pm on Monday 11th March we have our annual keynote lecture at the University featuring a national speaker, Dr Anna Keay OBE, historian and Director of the Landmark Trust, talking about ‘Living Landmarks: Buildings and History past and present’. The event is now open to members of the public at £10.00 per head so do book early to reserve your place to avoid disappointment. Free refreshments will be available and I will personally guarantee you a warm welcome!

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My top ten favourite Peterborough places

This article was first published in the 21 March 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

My father died far too young, in 1970 aged 52. He was a journalist for The Times newspaper during World War 2 as well as serving in the Royal Artillery and was later a teacher at Lincoln Road Boys’ and Eastholm School for Boys. A book could be written about his life, from working on the Peterborough Standard, being editor of a wartime newspaper, to being witness to the death of Mussolini as well as the eruption of Vesuvius in 1944 and, later, knowing the poet Charles Causley whilst training to be a teacher at the Peterscourt teacher training college here in Peterborough. Ed. See our Peterscourt plaque, one of our early plaques before we started the Blue Plaques.

He loved life but, as an English teacher, also hated various English phrases. On many occasions he told me off for using the phrase “virtually unique”. He would, say, “Toby, something is either unique or it isn’t – it can’t be virtually unique”.

So, bearing this in mind, I want to celebrate various aspects of Peterborough that are, to my mind, either unique or certainly very special. Now let me be clear – these are very personal choices and, dear reader, if you do not agree then please offer your own suggestions in next week’s Peterborough Telegraph letters page. The suggestions that follow are my top ten Peterborough ‘happy places’, represented in pictorial form by my ‘Happy Place’ collage.

Here goes. Well it will be no surprise that Peterborough Cathedral is right up there, in particular the tomb of Katharine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII’s wives, who was central to Henry setting up the Church of England. A special place locally, nationally and even internationally.

Then we have John Clare Cottage at Helpston. Clare is one of the country’s foremost poets and his simple verses and straightforward ways of looking at life should be a lesson for us all. Ed. Follow link to Clare Cottage to see photos from our visit in 2022.

Thorpe Hall has a special place in my Peterborough affections. Not only is it a fine mansion and one of the very few built during the Commonwealth period, but it is also my birthplace, having been used as a maternity unit in the middle of the 20th century.

Now I would be foolish not to include The Stoneworks bar near St John’s Church, the region’s finest venue in which to find the world’s best craft beers. Add to that the Brewery Tap, original home of Oakham Ales and purveyor of excellent Thai food, and I find that my stomach, heart and head and immediately satisfied! Staying on the food and drink theme I must include Bewiched coffee shops, at both Bridge Street and Fletton Quays where my wife and I can meet family and friends and plan our lives over a cup of coffee and piece of cake.

Now I can’t possibly ignore London Road football ground, in particular our seats in the Family Stand, seats on the back row of the upper tier – the best view in the ground and the closest I can get to heaven in Peterborough. Here I can shout, cry, laugh, celebrate and despair in roughly equal measures.

Then we have two great outdoors spaces - Ferry Meadows, the jewel in the crown of the Development Corporation, an inspired almost entirely man-made area created by man for the express purpose of health and relaxation. Add to that Central Park, close to my home, an inner-city space for gentle exercise and relaxation and I have no excuse not to spend time appreciating the outdoors.

My final happy place is the upstairs of No 5 double-decker bus from Dogsthorpe to the city centre, where I can sit and look through the windows and glimpse into gardens, cemeteries, shops and even get an unusual glimpse of the Cathedral from Eastfield Road.

... and of course your other favourite place, in your garden with a glass of beer!

So there we have it – my ten Peterborough happy places. I’m sure, dear reader, that you will have your own. Why not write in and share them with us? I do hope that you have enjoyed my list, after all it’s virtually unique. Whoops! Sorry dad!

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Civic Pride requires effort by all of us

This article was first published in the 18 April 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

“He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own --- he’s Harrison Burrows, he’s one of our own”.

That’s what all Posh fans were singing at Wembley just over a week ago when our glorious football team beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 in the Bristol Street Trophy at Wembley. Harrison, our 22-year-old captain scored both goals, the winning goal just before the end, in the 91st minute.

Now it has to be said that Harrison’s second goal was lucky. He seized the initiative, took a chance and curled the ball into the penalty area where it swirled over the hapless Wycombe goalkeeper into the net. Yes, the goal was lucky but Harrison had a go – and it worked!

Harrison made his (and our) own luck. In the same way we Peterborians need to make our own luck if we want to be part of a successful, vibrant city. For example, on Thursday 2 May there are local elections in many parts of the city. If you are eligible to vote, don’t leave the outcome to chance – make sure you vote for whichever candidate or party represents the sort of city that you want to live in. You might be lucky – it could be your vote that makes all the difference! Oh, and don’t forget to take some form of ID with you when you vote. Ed, photo below right Toby Wood on left, David Turnock on right. Celebration photos below of Harrison Burrows with the trophy, acknowledgement Peterborough Telegraph.

In the same way there are often public consultations that help the Council to decide what parts of the city should look like. For example, there are various design options for the new Towns Fund Station Quarter. Soon there will be a public consultation on what this may look like – make sure you have your say! Seize the initiative! You might get lucky – those in charge might agree with, and implement, some or all your suggestions.

In the same way we in Peterborough are lucky to have a wide range of facilities and amenities. I could go on about John Lewis and M&S in Queensgate closing, I could complain about the state of our roads, litter and fly-tipping but allow me to be positive on this occasion. We are lucky to have the Cathedral, Ferry Meadows, Railworld, John Clare Cottage, Burghley House, Flag Fen, to name but a few. Goodness knows I bang on about them enough!

We might have the occasional (and often justified) moan about some aspects of where we live. But we can’t have the default position of always blaming others – there are many occasions when we can show initiative and make a difference ourselves, individually and/or collectively. In this life you make your own luck!

Civic pride often starts with small steps, which then lead to warm feelings, followed by a feel-good factor and then perhaps an increased sense of togetherness which can then be harnessed for even greater positivity and success. A litter pick outside your house might lead to your neighbour doing the same and could even lead to a whole street being cleaned up – if you’re lucky!!!

Just look at how good the city’s feeling – and all because Harrison Burrows swung that left foot, had a go and, in truth, got lucky. Posh could so easily have gone to extra time, eventually losing. But we didn’t! Harrison Burrows got lucky, and just look how good that made us all feel!

So, come on Peterborough – years ago we had the ‘Peterborough Effect’ … last week we had the ‘Burrows Effect’ … as summer and the warmer weather approaches, let us arise from our civic slumbers and, individually and collectively, help to contribute to a more vibrant city. To paraphrase what we sang about Harrison Burrows, ‘It’s one of our own, it’s one of our own --- it’s Peterborough, it’s one of our own’.

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Stagecoach - 65 years apart!

This article was first published in the 16 May 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

It’s 1959. It’s Dogsthorpe. There are five boys playing outside our house in Eastern Avenue. Paul, Howard, Trevor, Steven and me. We are playing cowboys and Indians, running up and down the pavement and verges, in and out of the bushes that are next to the red phone box. We take it in turns to be either cowboys or Indians. The cowboys are tall and brave and speak in a drawl like John Wayne of James Stewart. They carry Winchester ’73 rifles or Colt 45 pistols. The Indians are Apaches, sometimes Comanche or Sioux and carry bows and arrows and are attacking the stagecoach that is travelling from Denver to Santa Fe. They whoop and holler in voices so shrill and blood-curding they occasionally wake up Mr Cobb in the nearby bungalow as he has his after-dinner nap.

There are rules to the game. If you’re an Indian and get shot, you have to dramatically throw yourself to the ground and count to ten before you can get up again, remount your speedy piebald pony and rush off again. If you’re a cowboy you must play by the rules, be magnanimous and humble in victory. Photo thanks Peterborough Images Archive.

The battle is fierce but fair, heroic and hard-fought. We stop when we hear a sound getting closer. It’s the 307 bus from Dogsthorpe to town, not Denver to Santa Fe. The bus stops and we briefly talk to the driver as he waits for passengers, he’s a nice man and I think his name is Colin. He presents us with a reel of spare blank tickets and is on his way.

Nearly sixty-five years later. It’s 2024. It’s the bus stop in Midgate on a rainy Friday afternoon. I have just spent a couple of hours being interviewed by an academic researcher from the Open University who is working on a project entitled ‘Place, Community and Connection in the Fens’. He wants to know my views as to how Peterborough, the big city at the edge of the Fens, has changed over the years. He’s made me think.

I don’t know when the next bus is coming. The illuminated timetable sign in the bus shelter isn’t working – it could be five minutes or thirty-five. Who knows? I get increasingly frustrated, waiting in the rain. No bus. I later find out that there has been a ‘police incident at Peterborough rail station’ that has affected things.

I look around and watch the world go by. The closed Ladbrokes opposite with its turquoise shutters and red wheelie bin outside. There’s the huge black Range Rover cruising up and down. There’s the bright and colourful window display in the Step Up clothes shop. Further down the road are the impressive chimneys on St Peter’s College which, in 1946, was the place where my father trained to be a teacher. See our plaque to Peterscourt. I smile – the end of the building looks like Thomas the Tank Engine. Increasing numbers of people are waiting for the bus. I hear a multitude of languages but none, as far as I can hear, are Apache, Comanche or Sioux. There’s a woman pushing a buggy, complete with toddler and bags of shopping, she’s on her way back to her homestead.

Whilst waiting for the bus I think about what could happen in Peterborough. Although the bus service is usually decent and reasonably punctual, I reckon it could do so much more to link places. How wonderful it would be if there was public transport that connected Flag Fen, John Clare Cottage, Railworld, Ferry Meadows and other local attractions. Just think how many more people, residents, visitors and those without cars would be able to access our many attractions. As the crow flies Flag Fen is a mile from the city centre but, in terms of access, it might as well be in deepest Norfolk. I do know that Council leaders and local movers and shakers are considering how our many tourist destinations can become more connected. Let’s hope that aspirations become reality.

I am jolted from my bus shelter musings. At last, here comes the No: 5. It’s a Stagecoach.

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Central Park, Peterborough - an appreciation

This article was first published in the 20 June 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

A couple of weeks ago I was doing one of my regular walks from Dogsthorpe down to town. The sun was shining and, for some reason, I noticed the city’s greenery more than usual. In particular I noticed the mature trees in Broadway and those in Stanley Rec, one of the best of our city’s open spaces.

Peterborough is blessed with a wide variety of open spaces and, from the air Ed. view our video showing Peterborough from the air, a huge amount of greenery is visible. It would be remiss of me not to mention Ferry Meadows, Nene Park, Thorpe Wood, Itter Park, Manor Farm Park, Bretton Park, Gladstone’s Connect Park, and Cuckoo’s Hollow and even the Embankment. There are many other open spaces within the city and I haven’t even mentioned those in the new areas such as Hampton. Apologies if I haven’t mentioned an area near you. Why not write into the PT praising something near where you live?

However my real true-love Peterborough open space is Central Park, a space that I have known all my life. In fact I can remember the bandstand which stood in the middle of the park, preceding the willow tree. The bandstand was erected in 1879 and eventually dismantled in 1965. The park itself was opened by the Peterborough Land Company in 1877 but was only accessible to subscribers until 1908 when an agreement was reached with Peterborough City Council and the area opened to the general public.

Today the Park has many recreational uses. It possesses children’s play areas, sandpit and soft play area, a seasonal paddling pool, sensory garden, sunken garden (in need of planting!), facilities for tennis, bowls, table tennis, croquet, football, basketball and volleyball, the last few of these serviced by brand new beautifully-surfaced courts. Recently the Council has installed a new basketball court and multi-sports space which I have seen being used throughout the day by groups of students from the nearby schools and college.

There are some quirky features in Central Park. The stone arch entrance in Broadway was originally situated in the Crescent, a row of long-gone Georgian houses near the railway station and Crescent bridge. Also look out for the grave and memorial to Jimmy the Donkey (Our Jimmy) who served in the Great War and was actually born on the Somme.

I challenge readers to find the Victorian sewer vent or ‘stink pipe’ which sticks out of the ground about four metres but is now hidden in trees and bushes.

There is still an aviary in which visitors will find canaries and budgies – over the years many a small child (myself included) has peered at them through the tight wire mesh cages.

The Friends of Central Park is a thriving group dedicated to helping the park to flourish as well as to organising events throughout the year. Look out for what they put on! A word must go to Aragon whose staff continue to maintain the Park and to David Turnock and other Civic Society colleagues who have undertaken to plant and maintain the eight beds around the iconic willow tree.

Great credit must also go to Christine Corrigan and her staff who, over the past few years, have transformed the Willow café at the centre of Central Park and made it a real go-to destination for food, drink and a natter.

To celebrate my affection for Central Park ‘and all who sail in her’, and on behalf of the Civic Society, I have produced a limited edition 56-page booklet which has just been printed by the friendly folk at GP Print. It is not a history but is a love letter to the park in words, pictures and old postcards. ‘Central Park: an appreciation’, costing £5.00, is now available from The Willow café at the Park and from our website.

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Will our ever-changing city centre cease to be a retail attraction?

This article was first published in the 18 July 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

Whenever I give a talk to local groups, usually about the Civic Society’s blue plaques, I offer the audience a word of advice. With as straight a face as possible I say, “please don’t stand still for more than ten minutes in Peterborough city centre … if you do you may be converted into flats”. There is an audible sigh of relief when folk realise that this is a ‘joke”. However, there is a smidgeon of truth in what I say, every time I go into town something new seems to have popped up and it’s not a new shop.

There is a widely held feeling that “there’s no reason to go to the town centre any more …. there aren’t any decent shops”. When I talk to people from Walton, Thorney, Stanground or Castor, it is very noticeable that they shop out of town, their main reasons being choice, accessibility and free parking. One Werrington wag recently told me that the furthest south in the world he now goes is Morrison’s on Lincoln Road.

This is quite a conundrum for Peterborough city centre and many others up and down the land. There are increasingly fewer shops and other retail outlets in our city centre yet there are growing numbers of flats and other dwellings. We have Fletton Quays, Northminster and seemingly innumerable smaller developments and conversions popping up all over the place. Presumably the residents in these new properties have to eat and shop. Do they have food delivered? Are they going out every night? Do they travel to out-of-town shopping centres? I’m sure that you, dear reader, have an answer so let me know your thoughts by following the link?

We have increasing numbers of students at our thriving ARU (Anglia Ruskin University) who would surely benefit from an increased number of shops and eateries. Perhaps that’s where possible future development of the Embankment around the Key Theatre comes into play!

There appears to be a worrying trend, one that is certainly exercising the Civic Society. Bridge Street, one of our premier thoroughfares, is changing in nature. Long gone are the independent shops and now even national chains appear to be struggling to survive. A recent example is that the recently-closed The Works store seems set to be an extension of New Horizon Amusements – something called an ‘adult gaming centre’. The mind boggles! Is this a place where my Civic Society colleagues can go and play strip poker? Dear reader, if you saw the state of my Civic Society friends, the very thought of this would give you nightmares for a month!!! Without wishing to sound pompous, is this really the best that Peterborough can do – an adult gaming centre?

On the bright side, I am delighted that Bridge Street has a number of independent and small-chain eateries and cafes and, in the early evening at least, there is a pleasant city centre vibe. However I am also hearing of instances when people do not feel safe – something needs to happen to ensure that the city centre feels safe all day long. At this point I must acknowledge the sterling efforts of Peterborough Positive – I know that Pep Cipriano and his colleagues are doing what they can to improve things.

Incidentally, it would be great if Invesco, the owners of Queensgate, were given a page in the PT so that they could explain their short, medium and long-term plans for the centre. If we knew what they were then perhaps we could support them in their objectives.

We must remember that the city centre is not a place that belongs to somebody else. It is our city centre. Perhaps our own habits are changing. For instance, I regularly go to town for a wander, visit the Museum, Cathedral and then have a bite to eat and a few beers. How do you use the city centre?

Perhaps the solution is under our noses. We should now treat the city centre as an entertainment destination, a place to visit from both near and far for a couple of hours, half or full day. Perhaps the days of city centre shopping is vanishing, nearly gone. Shopping be damned. RIP city centre shopping. Discuss! ....... and let me know your thoughts.

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The twenty required ‘C’s for Peterborough

This article was first published in the 15 August 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

Many years ago, whilst working for Cambridgeshire County Council, I was in a training workshop in which participants were asked to come up with a positive strapline for the education service – I came up with Creating the Climate for Confidence. Three Cs.

More recently I have been part of a group, ably facilitated by Dave Cramp, called the Peterborough Tourism Collective that has been considering how the city can promote the city and work together to encourage visitors from both near and far. Part of their work has been to contribute to a Visitor Economy Strategy which will hopefully soon be unveiled and adapted by Peterborough City Council.

Whilst listening to contributions at the meeting I was surprised at how many other ‘C’ words were rushing round my head. In fact I have managed to collect twenty in total. So here we are, pop pickers, - Peterborough’s Top Twenty Cs!

City – Peterborough’s cathedral makes it a city, a grand building which dominates our landscape and which symbolises large ideas and aspirations;

Community – although we are made up of a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, we cannot escape from the fact that, like it or not, we live together;

Civic – we all have a duty to be proud of our city and to try to make a positive impact;

Collaboration – more gets done when we share ideas, pool resources and feed off each other’s enthusiasm;

Co-operation – I would like to think that more gets done when the major political parties on the Council work together, particularly given the current dire state of public finances;

Citizenship – sounds a little grand but essentially means we all have the right to exist happily in the place that we call ‘home’;

Contribution – we all have a duty to ‘do our bit’. Tiny example - if everyone put rubbish in a bin just think what a difference that would make. Simple!

Commitment – social responsibility is vital, looking out for each other essential;

Change – if you look at Peterborough over the years, change is something we cope with well, even though it can be a little daunting;

Collective – the very act of showing that you’re working together e.g. Peterborough’s Tourism Collective;

Consideration – something we encourage in everybody, starting with our youngest children, the skill of being thoughtful towards others;

Caring – this particularly applies to those who, for whatever reason find themselves in need of our support and encouragement;

Creative – Peterborough is full of imaginative, energetic people trying to make our lives three- as opposed to two-dimensional;

Cheerful – too often we say, “it can’t be done”, “things were better back then” or “they won’t do anything”. Come on folks, be cheerful!

Communal – this applies to our shared spaces - for example how best could we use Cathedral Square for the benefit if all?

Combined – the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority – how can be ensure that Peterborough is awarded its fair share of resources?

Continuity – whichever political party is in control in Peterborough it’s important that all contribute to a long-term vision that might outlast their own comparatively short tenure of office;

Competence – Peterborough needs to ensure that we attract and retain the right people, those with ‘the glint in the eye’. Too many people move on too quickly, frustrated by a lack of progress;
Curiosity – why do we need to stay the way we are? Why not try something a little different? Go for it!
Challenge – sometimes we need to hear uncomfortable truths and to be made to go outside our own comfort zones in order to obtain better results;

So there we have it – twenty ‘C’ words, many of which interlink and intertwine. To paraphrase the immortal words of Delia Smith, the then Norwich City owner, “come on Peterborough, let’s be having you!”

Incidentally, whilst at the recent Posh open training session with my wife and grandson, one of our new players stood out. He was committed, confident and classy. His name Chris Conn-Clarke. Three Cs – it’s an omen!!!

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Our ever-changing city is all mapped out

This article was first published in the 19 September 2024 edition of the Peterborough Telegraph. It was written by committee member Toby Wood.

I love maps. When I was a child I would pore over maps of the world and run my fingers along routes that went through exotic places such as Kuala Lumpur, Khartoum, Kinshasa and Kamchatka, this from a lad who had definitely been to King’s Lynn but never Kidderminster. I would imagine flying in a hot air balloon to foreign places or possible hurtling round the globe in a Morgan 3-wheeler roadster. I used to run my finger along rivers and roads or craggy coastlines in my well-thumbed atlas. My mum and dad used to smile at my childish obsession.

I probably knew full well that these transports of delights would never happen but it was fun to fantasise about the world from the cosy safety of my own Dogsthorpe bedroom. Don’t forget, you’re reading about a bloke who gets a nosebleed when he travels south of the river.

My interest in maps was rekindled a couple of weeks ago when some friends (and ardent Posh supporters) showed me a 1949 map they had acquired. The map had been prepared by the City of Peterborough County Planning Committee and clearly showed the Dogsthorpe area just before it was built. Older areas of the city – Garton End, parts of Eastfield and New England were there and I was reminded of how much land in the centre of the city was designated ‘allotments’. Indeed the land between the back of our own house in Newark Avenue and Sycamore Avenue was allotments until comparatively recently, when the extensive sheltered accommodation was built.

This prompted me to look again at my facsimiles of old maps. One, from 1836, refers to Standgound Severals’, Boon Fields, Wood Fields (ironically now the Dogsthorpe estate where I now live) and of course Dodsthorpe itself, then a mere cluster of a few houses around the Bluebell pub in Welland Road. Other delightful names, which locals are still familiar with, were much more prominent than they are now – Car Dyke, Milking Nook, Edgerley Bar, Boon Fields and Cuckolds Haven – I could go on.

Roll on nearly a hundred years and, by 1922, Whittlesea has become Whittlesey and settlements at Walton, Paston, Millfield, Fletton and Woodstone have become much more prominent.

By the end of the twentieth century Peterborough has expanded even more and words such as Bretton, Orton Malborne and Goldhay, have entered our vocabulary. Indeed, in 2024, the city has grown so much there are areas, Hampton and Cardea in particular, where even a longstanding Peterborian such as myself would be well and truly lost.

So it was that, earlier this year, I was delighted to be asked by Pep Cipriano and Terri Flack from Peterborough Positive to have a look at a first draft of their revised city centre map. This free pocket-sized map is now available and is handy for both residents and visitors to the city alike. For this edition the Civic Society was really flattered that the locations of all Peterborough’s blue plaques are included. As I pored over the final draft of the map I was reminded of just how much our city centre has to offer. Copies of the map are now available at our monthly meetings, the Cathedral, Museum and a number of city centre retail outlets. Grab yours now!

Of course Peterborough Positive’s new map is merely the latest in a long line of maps of our ever-changing city. There is renewed pressure for growth - the country urgently needs more housing and Peterborough is one of the cities that may yet again be expected to grow. I’m sure that the subject of expansion will be a topic for a future column. Until that time I shall just muse about what a map of Peterborough will look like in 2055! Follow link for current map of Peterborough. Recommend you use Brave browser to avoid the adverts.


1836	1886	1922	1928

1949	1949	1949	1952

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page last changed 26 September 2024