Central Library set for major £6 million refurbishment
Central Library services will move to a temporary home in Northminster House in November 2026 to enable the Central Library building to undergo a £6 million major refurbishment.
Central Library in Broadway, Peterborough will close on Friday 30 October 2026 to allow for all the books and other services to be transferred to a temporary library in Northminster House, Northminster Road, Peterborough. It will be known as Northminster Library. The temporary Northminster Library will open on 9 November 2026.
During the week while Central Library is closed awaiting the opening of the temporary Northminster Library, the other nine Peterborough libraries will remain open as usual. This is alongside the mobile library service and digital library, BorrowBox.
We are leasing Northminster House from October 2026 to March 2028 to enable sufficient time for the library services to relocate to Northminster House and, once the renovation is complete, return to a modern, flexible, digitally focused library in the heart of the city. The refurbishment of Central Library is being designed to meet the changing needs of the community, with dedicated areas for community groups, events and other activities.
The project is funded by our Regeneration Fund, including monies from the Government's Towns Fund.
Northminster HouseLibraries
We have 10 public libraries in Peterborough:
- Bretton Library
- Central Library
- Dogsthorpe Library
- Eye Library
- Hampton Library
- Orton Library
- Stanground Library
- Thorney Library
- Werrington Library
- Woodston Library
Services offered (may not be available at all libraries):
- Books and audio books
- Library membership
- eBooks, eNewspapers and eMagazines
- Public computers
- Computer courses for beginners
- Storytime and rhymetime events for children
- Children's craft club
- Class visits for schools
- Access to published academic research
- Researching family history
- Support for reading groups and book clubs
- BFI Replay - a free-to-access digital archive for UK public libraries containing thousands of digitised videos and television programmes
- Confidential meeting hubs
- Room hire
There is also a Mobile Library Service operating throughout Peterborough, visiting different areas on different days of the month.
Visit the Peterborough Libraries website for more information.
Archives
Peterborough Archives has extensive collections dating from the medieval period to present day. This includes original historical documents, maps, drawings, photographs, newspapers and books, as well as film and sound recordings.
Access to the archives is free, although there may be charges for photocopying, scanning and some research requests.
You can also browse an online catalogue, view research guides, and even volunteer!
Visit the Peterborough Archives website for more information.