Peterborough

Peterborough
City and unitary authority
Peterborough Cathedral
Motto:  "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Upon this rock)
Peterborough Unitary Authority Area shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates: 52°34′21″N 00°14′35″W / 52.57250°N 0.24306°W / 52.57250; -0.24306
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	East of England
Ceremonial county	Cambridgeshire
Admin HQ	Peterborough
City status	1541[1]
Incorporated	1874
Unitary	1998
Government
• Type	Non-metropolitan district
• Governing body	Peterborough City Council
• Leadership	Leader and Cabinet
• Executive	Conservative
• MPs	Stewart Jackson (Con) Shailesh Vara (Con)
Area
• Total	132.58 sq mi (343.38 km2)
Population  (2005 est.)
• Total	197,100
• Density	1,480/sq mi (573/km2)
• Ethnicity	82.5% White 11.7% Asian 2.3% Black 0.8% Other 2.8% Mixed
Time zone	UTC±0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area	PE
Area code	01733
ISO 3166-2	GB-PTE
ONS code	00JA (ONS) E06000031 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TL185998
NUTS 3	UKH11
Website	www.peterborough.gov.uk

Peterborough (/ˈpiːtərbrə/ or /ˈpiːtərbərə/ (listen)) is a cathedral city in the East of England. The population is about 184,500 as of mid–2011. The city is well known for its cathedral.

Even though it is part of Northamptonshire, for ceremonial purposes it is inside the county of Cambridgeshire. The city is 75 miles (121 km) north of London. It is on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea, about 30 miles (48 km) to the north-east.

The railway station is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh. The local government area includes Northamptonshire and Rutland to the west, Lincolnshire to the north, and non-metropolitan Cambridgeshire to the south and east.

The topography of the land is flat. In some places it is below sea level, for example in the Fens that are east of Peterborough.

Human settlement began before the Bronze Age, as seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east. There is also evidence of Roman occupation. In the Anglo-Saxon English period of time, a monastery, Medeshamstede was built. This later became Peterborough Cathedral.

The population grew fast after rail transport began in the 19th century. At that time, Peterborough became known for the manufacturing of bricks.

1. ↑ Beckett, John V. City Status in the British Isles, 1830–2002 (p.14) Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot, 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2015
2. ↑ Grant of arms by letters patent sealed by Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy & Ulster Kings of Arms dated 6 September 1960.