Peterborough Cathedral
The present building of the cathedral church of
St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew
was begun in 1118 AD. The first Norman church had been destroyed by fire in 1116. When it was complete, the Abbey church was finally consecrated in 1238. To the western end of the nave, the building was constructed in the Norman or Romanesque style of architecture. The gothic style was adopted when the Great West Front Portico was added.In the nave, the original wooden ceiling is still in place and remains in its original style.
In the mid-16th century the king created a bishop so that he could have more control over the church in this area and so Peterborough Abbey church became a cathedral.
Both Catherine of Aragon (the first wife of Henry VIII) and Mary, Queen of Scots, were buried in the cathedral. Mary was later re-buried in Westminster Abbey.
Visit the Peterborough Cathedral website.
