Cathedral Environs

Peterborough, UK - Jamie - Friday, April 20th, 2007 : goo

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A monastic church was founded here by King Peada in 655 AD, destroyed by the Danes in 870, rebuilt as part of a Benedictine Abbey and re-consecrated in 972, burned down in an accidental fire in 1116 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238. The porch was added about 1380, the eastern extension around 1500 and the central tower was re-built in the mid 1300's and again in the 1880's. In 1539 the monastery was closed by Henry VIII, but 18 months later in 1541, the church became the Cathedral of the new Diocese of Peterborough, with the last abbot as the new bishop, and Peterborough became a city. - www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk

So all in all the building in it's current form has stood here relatively unchanged for about 800 years. That's pretty spectacular if you stop and think about it for a second.

The buildings in the grounds now house offices for those who can afford them. So lawyers. and Starbucks. Actually that's not entirely true. Starbucks was a bank. Back before the banks decided we didn't want 'actual' banks and we'd much rather to speak to a Bombay call centre.

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