Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England. Historically part of Northamptonshire, for ceremonial purposes it now falls within the county of Cambridgeshire. The railway station is an important stop on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh.

Known for the 12th- and 13th-century Peterborough Cathedral, with its Gothic facade, the population of the city grew rapidly following the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, and Peterborough became an industrial centre, particularly noted for its brick manufacture.