Originally an abbey church, Peterborough Cathedral is a Norman and Gothic building featuring an unusual triple facade, a rare medieval painted ceiling, magnificent fan vaulting, and the tomb of Catherine of Aragon.
Peterborough Cathedral is a monastic cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England. The Norman cathedral is dedicated to Saints Peter, Paul and Andrew and is unusual among medieval cathedrals in Great Britain because of its triple front (dominated by the statues of the three saints) and overall asymmetrical appearance.
The current Anglican cathedral stands on the site of a monastic church founded by King Peada of Mercia in 655. The monastic settlement was destroyed by Vikings in 870, but was revived in 972 by Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury. The town surrounding the abbey was eventually named Peterburgh after the saint to whom the abbey was dedicated.
Although damaged during the struggle between the Norman invaders and local folk-hero, Hereward the Wake, the church was repaired, and continued to thrive until destroyed by fire in 1116.
This event necessitated the building of a new church, which took a total of 120 years to complete, and was consecrated in 1238.
The Norman tower was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style in about 1350, and the Perpendicular fan vaulting was added between 1496 and 1508. In 1541, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the church survived by being selected as the cathedral of the new diocese of Peterborough.
The former English queen Catherine of Aragon was buried in the cathedral's cemetery in 1536. In 1587, the body of Mary Queen of Scots was also buried here, but was later removed to Westminster Abbey on the orders of her son, King James I of England.
The cathedral was vandalized during the English Civil War. Almost all the stained glass was destroyed, and the altar and reredos were demolished, as were the cloisters and Lady Chapel. Some of the damage was repaired during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1883, extensive restoration work began, with the interior pillars, the choir and the west front being completely rebuilt.
In the 1960s new figures were added to the West Front and in the 1970s the spectacular hanging cross was added to the nave. Since a disastrous fire in November 2001 a massive cleaning and restoration program has been undertaken.
Inside Peterborough Cathedral is an excellent permanent exhibition on the history of the cathedral and the daily life of a Benedictine monk. There are also scale models showing how the cathedral was constructed.
The grave of Catherine of Aragon can still be seen, and is still honored by visitors, who decorate the tomb with flowers and pomegranates (her symbol). The tomb proclaims her "Katharine, Queen of England," a title she was denied at the time of her death.
The cathedral's official website suggests the following six highlights for visitors with limited time:
Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.
819/1/1 PRECINCTS 07-FEB-52 PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST PETER, ST PAUL AND ST ANDREW
GV I
TL 1998 NW 1/1 7.2.52
Rebuilding, after a disastrous fire, commenced in 1118 under Abbot John de Seez. Barnack stone. Nave circa 1150, west end circa 1177. West front and main consecration in 1238. Tower 1315. Porch late Cl4. Windows mainly renewed in C14 and C15. Main restoration by J L Pearson in 1882-6.
Specially Important:
Nave ceiling of circa 1220, decorated with lozenge shaped panels containing the figures of kings, queens, saints, monsters etc.
Retrochoir of 1496-1508 has 4 and 3 light windows with panel tracery separated by buttresses. Open parapet with seated figures on the tops of the buttresses. The interior has a handsome fan-vaulted roof on slender shafts, possibly designed by John Wastell who worked at King's College Cambridge.
Monuments:
Hedda Stone of circa 800 - grey stone with a pitched roof, carved with an inhabited scroll with stiffly carved frontal figures.
Effigies in Alwalton marble of 4 abbots of between 1195 to 1225.
Remains of the tomb of Queen Katharine of Aragon. C15 brass lectern.
Glass of 1862 by Morris, Marshall and Faulkner in the south transept on the south wall.
VCH (Northants) Vol II. NMR.
Listing NGR: TL1941698645
