The Anonymous Widower

Peterborough Cathedral

On Monday I had to visit Peterborough and went over the cathedral.

Peterborough Cathedral

Peterborough has this reputation as a rather grim overspill town, but it has a beautiful cathedral, which like several in the UK are old Abbey churches.  In fact when Henry the VIII dissolved the monasteries it was the sixth richest in England.  The cathedral has one of the largest mediaeval painted ceilings in Europe.

But Peterborough is also the birthplace of my paternal grandmother.  She was a Spencer and her father was a builder, who according to legend build some of the city.  I’ve recently met a distant Spencer cousin, whose ancestor was also a builder, who built part of Armley in Leeds.

The strange thing about Monday’s visit was that I’ve just looked up Whitsed Street, where she was born on Google and I parked the car in the next street.

August 19, 2009 - Posted by AnonW | World | Cathedral, Leeds, Peterborough