20th Century - 1900 - present day

By the early 20th century Peterborough had become a centre of engineering excellence and a developing city with a rapidly growing population. People came from all over Britain and from further afield India, Pakistan, Italy, the Caribbean, eastern Europe to live and work in the city. The two World Wars brought many changes to the inhabitants of the Peterborough area, those who fought and died in the Great War were commemorated by the building of a hospital. The flat, open countryside around Peterborough made an ideal location for airfields, RAF Wittering, home of the famous Harrier "jump jets", saw action in both World Wars.

 

Peterborough Development Corporation proposed four new "townships" each with a large number of houses serviced by a shopping centre and community centres. Three were actually built at Bretton, Orton and Werrington.

 

The Development Corporation also designed linking road networks and certain leisure facilities such the Nene Park. They promoted Peterborough extensively in order to attract new companies, which at first tended to be based on the City's established engineering and manufacturing industries. The long established Perkins Engines had, by 1960, become the largest employer with over 7,000 staff. Distribution depots and service-based businesses like Thomas Cook and Pearl Assurance came later.

 

It was also decided that the City should have a major indoor shopping centre at its heart and so Queensgate was built. It was opened by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands in 1982. Peterborough continues to expand in the new millennium as a regional centre for homes, commerce, transport, industry and leisure.