Forty Years On | The story of an expanding city

Peterborough's rapid expansion as part of the New Town programme in the 70s and 80s has shaped the city into what you see today.

From 1968 to 1988, the Peterborough Development Corporation transformed the city adding the parkway road system, cycleways, developing Nene Park, Queensgate Shopping Centre and three new townships at Orton, Bretton and Werrington, among many other things, in a bid to re-house population overspill and attract new businesses and residents to the area. It seems there was not a part of the city that they didn’t touch in some way.

But how did they do it?

Who was involved?

And why were things done the way they were?

The Forty Years On project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council, will explore the city’s expansion through archive, oral history and drama.

The 2.5 year project is an exciting partnership between Eastern Angles Theatre Company and Vivacity’s Archives Service, which will involve the cataloguing and conservation of 500 boxes of Peterborough Development Corporation material, over 150 oral history interviews being conducted and two plays touring the city.

Forty Years On offers many opportunities for Peterborough residents to get involved. The project is looking to talk to people who worked for the PDC, lived in the townships during this period, those who relocated or migrated to Peterborough, or anyone whose life was affected by the development. Resident stories will form a valuable oral archive which may even inspire part of a community play in Autumn 2013.

Volunteers training for Oral History Interviewing by FYO volunteer Vanessa Barton

The project also needs volunteers to help with the conservation, cataloguing and research of documents; conducting, transcribing and editing oral history interviews or to assist with the 2013 community play.

If you’d like to be involved in any aspect of the project contact Tina Bramhill, Project Officer on 01733 864298 or email

Visit www.vivacity-peterborough.com or www.easternangles.co.uk for more information.