Skip to content

Peterborough loses out in UK City of Culture bid

Lewis Adams
News imageSteve Hubbard/BBC The large Peterborough Cathedral with three tall pointed arches and multiple ornate spires, set in a green lawn under a cloudy sky.Steve Hubbard/BBC
Peterborough is known for its Norman cathedral and the Nene Valley Railway

Peterborough has failed to make the longlist for the UK City of Culture 2029.

The city was knocked out of the running by nine other places vying to scoop the £10m prize.

Famous for its Norman cathedral and the Nene Valley Railway, civic figures hoped winning the award would boost tourism.

Shabina Qayyum, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: "Mark my words, we will become bigger and better in future."

Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham all made the longlist, announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on Wednesday.

Previous winners have included holders Bradford, Coventry and Hull.

News imagePeterborough Labour Shabina Qayyum standing in the car park of a doctor's practice. She has dark flowing hair and is wearing a green jacket and a white shirt.Peterborough Labour
Shabina Qayyum said Peterborough was a "beautiful patchwork quilt of diversity"

Peterborough's bid was submitted in February and celebrated its Roman origins, industrial growth and diverse communities.

Known as the city's "strongest man", Walter Cornelius's image was used as a symbol for the campaign.

Qayyum, a Labour councillor, said: "We will take the many positives from the process so far and use this to push forward, with 2033 in our eye."

She said it had been a city-wide effort, adding: "I love this city and its beautiful patchwork quilt of diversity, and I am proud that we are backing our communities and creativity."

Andrew Pakes, the Labour MP for Peterborough, said: "Whilst we did not make the next stage this time, we have started a new way of working and promoting the city that will benefit us all."

News imageNathan Murdoch Street Arts Hire Peterborough A close up of part of a mural, painted in yellow, black and white, showing Walter Cornelius, face on and flat on his stomach with his hands beneath his shoulders. His head is raised and he is looking forward and in front of him on the ground is a pea.Nathan Murdoch Street Arts Hire Peterborough
Walter Cornelius was known for his eccentric exploits, including pushing a pea with his nose and walking miles on his hands

Places that have scooped the title before earned millions of pounds as a result, according to the DCMS.

The award, given out every four years since 2013, was invented to restore pride in every part of Britain.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country.

"The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation."

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More on this story
Related internet links