Peterborough from above

[61070]

1947:
Station, New England yards, mpd etc. on left hand side:
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw009524

1936:
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw050280
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw050279

Peterborough East:
1934
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw044904
1931
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw036806

[R. pike]

There appears to be a long bridge i can't account for in this shot...

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw036787

[strang steel]

I'm afraid that I cannot see a long bridge in that shot. I see the ECML crossing what looks like the Oundle Road, followed by the beginnings of the bridge over the Nene and MR tracks west of East station, but that is all.

Which part of the photo are you referring to?

[Andy W]

I think it is an optical illusion - what you are seeing as a bridge is in fact the far river bank of the Nene and the path beside it. I also saw it as a bridge at first until I saw a tree reflected in front of what you are seeing as the structure and thought, hang on a moment!

The Town Bridge was rebuilt about this time but they built the new one right beside the old one so there was no need to build any temporary structure elsewhere.

[1H was 2E]

Now I know this is just a trivial point to most but it isn't to me!.
The details show "Administration - City of Peterborough".
When this photo was taken, and indeed for the life of the LNER and right through to, I think, the 60's this was not true. It was the Soke of Peterborough, an arrangement unique in England which meant that Peterborough was not in any county, although surrounded by Northamptonshire.
On a related subject, in 1974 a number of County boundaries were re-drawn and indeed some Counties disappeared, and I get a little irritated by historical books about railways that use the 1974 boundaries even when discussing pre-grouping, let alone pre-nationalisation, matters - for instance, a book about the history of Northamptonshire's railways ignores the Peterborough line East of Oundle presumably because, after 1974 (ten years after the line closed to passengers) it was in Cambridgeshire.
Bit like saying N2s were used on Network South East services!!
I recently visited a well known tunnel in the north which had been 'moved' from Lancashire to Yorkshire (or was it the opposite?) and that certainly raised a few issues, so possibly I'm not alone....

[giner]

Interesting. Wasn't Rutland in a similar position? Not sure if that was deemed a 'Soke' or not.

[Bryan]

Would the admin district be referring to the present day area?

[2512silverfox]

Today Peterboro' is part of the County Cambridge for ceremonial purposes. It was for many years the unique 'Soke of Peterbro' but this only in certain circumstances. Governmentally it was regarded as Northants and certainly all the genealogy sources refer to it as Northamptonshire. Most of my immediate family from about 1850 onwards hail from Peterbro' so the evidence is fairly compelling. On the other hand my G Grandfather was an Inspector of police for the Soke of Peterbro!

[1H was 2E]

It was for many years the unique 'Soke of Peterbro' but this only in certain circumstances. Governmentally it was regarded as Northants and certainly all the genealogy sources refer to it as Northamptonshire.

I'm not entirely certain about that. When I was a child I remember being intrigued by official documents, perhaps rates demands, that read "Northamptonshire & The Soke of Peterborough", and, for instance, the Soke had its own vehicle registration index letters (FL, I think) separate and different from Northamptonshire. The Soke was also shown in a different colour from Northamptonshire on maps.

Bristol was also not apparently in any county. The Isle of Ely was not a county, but was separate from Cambridgeshire. However, Rutland was a real county but got absorbed by Leicestershire.

B.R. wasn't very good at this sort of detail; howlers like 47583 "County of Hertfordshire" (but got 47585 "County of Cambridge" right!) and electric locos named "City of Preston" (wasn't at the time, is now) or -"- of Milton Keynes" (still isn't). And (wandering off) passengers on MML used to wonder who "Neville Hill" was.

[silverfox]

I was living in Peterborough at the time of the re-org, and one night in late March, all of the Rutland signs vanished. ( there was a big revolt about the name being phased out) Suddenly in about June, they all re appeared. Word was the local militia had liberated them so they would not be disposed of by the new regime

[Andy@34F]

I'm afraid that I cannot see a long bridge in that shot. I see the ECML crossing what looks like the Oundle Road, followed by the beginnings of the bridge over the Nene and MR tracks west of East station, but that is all.

Which part of the photo are you referring to?

On the right hand side of the picture, just above Peterborough East Stn, there is what resembles a bridge. However it looks as though it is the mere reflection of the riverbank as it passes along the area that is now behind the Key Theatre, the section of land where the Peterborough Beer festival is held.

This photo from the same collection gives a view of the river as it passes beneath the Town bridge heading eastwards. http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw044911

This shot gives a better view of the course of the river. http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/imag ... tion&ref=2

[Redrock]

Fascinating pictures.
If you look closely at that last shot, where the ECML crosses the river, you can see that the bridge has one box girder span, with an older bridge immediately to the east of it. I believe that this is the origonal 1850 bridge built by the GNR. Does anyone know for certain if this is the case?

[Cypherus]

http://maps.nls.uk/view/101570722

Shows two bridges at that location, One single lined, the other twin tracks.