City of Peterborough
Peterborough, or the City of Peterborough,[6] is a local government district with city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and hamlets.
This article is about the local government district. For the individual settlement, see Peterborough. For other uses, see Peterborough (disambiguation).
The district's area covers parts of the historic counties of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire, as well as a small part of Cambridgeshire. In 1965, the area became part of the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough before becoming a district of Cambridgeshire in 1974. Located in the East Anglia region of England, the area borders the surrounding counties of Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. The population of the district was 202,259 making it the second-largest district by population in East Anglia (after Norwich).[7]
Most of the contemporary district was part of the Soke of Peterborough, a liberty within the historic county of Northamptonshire. Between 1889 and 1965, the Soke was governed by the Soke of Peterborough County Council, making the Soke of Peterborough a completely autonomous, self-governing area separate from the rest of Northamptonshire. With the abolition of the Soke in 1965, Peterborough ceased being part of and associated with Northamptonshire.
Peterborough was a Saxon settlement during the Anglo-Saxon era.[8] The district also includes outlying villages such as Thorney, Old Fletton, Werrington, Parnwell, Dogsthorpe, Eye Green, Glinton, Northborough, Maxey, Wittering, Wansford and Ailsworth.
Local landmarks[edit]
The district contains many notable attractions and landmarks including: Peterborough Cathedral, Burghley House, Nene Valley Railway, and Longthorpe Tower.