Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
The gateway to the Fens, pub-blessed Peterborough provides a congenial day out for the visiting football fan. As the train from London pulls into Peterborough station, it passes a pleasant little football ground, a compact mix of old and new, not unlike the town itself.
Built over a century ago, London Road – renamed the Weston Homes Stadium in a long-term sponsorship deal – has been home to Peterborough United since the club’s formation in 1934.
Always known as The Posh, Peterborough unwittingly made Victoria Beckham a national laughing stock in 2002 when the Harlow-born pop star challenged the club’s right to use the nickname that had been handed to her over lunch at a Notting Hill restaurant in 1996.
In fact, the origins of the word ‘posh’ – meaning swanky – are as obscure as those of the club itself. Just as etymologists have failed to prove a direct correlation with the maritime phrase ‘Port Outward, Starboard Home’, so football historians know little about the two Peterborough clubs whose union led to the foundation of ‘United’ at the Angel Hotel.
A medieval coaching inn on today’s Bridge Street, over the River Nene from London Road, this now long demolished local landmark witnessed United’s creation in 1934. Two years before, London Road-based Peterborough & Fletton United had gone bust, the end of a short-lived venture that began with the merger of Peterborough City and Fletton United in 1923.
A few random facts – such as Peterborough City’s single season in the Southern League in 1909-10 – remain but the scant archive reveals little of United’s ancestors.
In truth, football failed to flower in the Fens as it had done in the industrial hubs of Lancashire and the north Midlands. Local sport and recreation mirrored those practised across the North Sea.
While Lancastrian teams were dominating the newly formed Football League, bandy, still big in Scandinavia today, emerged here in the late 1800s. In 1913, England were crowned European champions. Fen skating was also long established. The likes of William ‘Turkey’ Smart were local sporting legends long before football took hold. His son ‘Young Turkey’ James even beat his Dutch counterparts at top-level speed skating.
Just like their predecessors, United took a while to get going. Having inherited their nickname from Fletton United – whose manager had put out a call for ‘posh players’ in 1921 – The Posh remained non-league for 26 years.
In the late 1950s, the club’s monopoly of the Midland League persuaded the election committee to grant them full league status in 1960.
Along with runs in each cup in the mid 1960s, United maintained a modest but steady presence in the league. Relish was added after local rivals Cambridge United gained league status in 1970 – while long-established Northampton Town always considered Peterborough as posh arrivistes, particularly after the city itself changed county status to Cambridgeshire in 1972.
Since 2007, four stints as manager by Darren Ferguson, son of Sir Alex, has raised Peterborough’s profile and both times saw promotion to the Championship. As in the early 1990s, though, second-flight status was not long-term. The Posh get the chance to redress this issue following another promotion in 2021-22.
Equally pivotal to the club’s modern-day status has been chairman/owner Darragh MacAnthony, the Irish entrepreneur who first took over in 2006. Responsible for the popular podcast The Hard Truth, MacAnthony has been pushing for Peterborough, both club and city, to invest in a new stadium that could double up as a concert venue.
Having bought out co-owners Kelgary Sports to regain majority ownership in December 2023, the one-time youngest chairman in the Football League has made no secret of the limitations of London Road, its capacity now reduced to 13,500. The site long earmarked for this initiative is actually closer to town, just the other side of the River Nene, a location known as The Embankment, also the name of the adjoining athletics ground.
Another ground north of town, the Millfield Autoparts Stadium, is the home of community club FC Peterborough, comprising 17 teams from under-7s up, veterans, walking footballers and the senior side in the Thurlow Nunn League, aka Eastern Counties.
Currently challenging for promotion from Division One North, the Greens were founded in 2014 with a view to supporting ethnic minorities in the area.
Getting Around
Arriving in town and local transport
The closest airport to Peterborough is East Midlands 105km (65 miles) away. There is no direct transport – take the TrentBarton Skylink bus to Nottingham station (£6.30 cash/card on board, every 30-45mins, 1hr journey time), then a direct train to Peterborough (£14 online, 1hr).
From London Kings Cross, a train usually takes 45min and costs from £20 online. From Birmingham New Street, it’s 1hr 45mins (from £11 online).
Peterborough station is a 10-15min walk to the stadium over the River Nene and a shorter one to town alongside. Adding a PlusBus supplement (£3.80) to your train ticket allows you to use local Centrebus, FirstBus or Stagecoach citi services, but everything is easily walkable.
For a taxi, call City Cabs on 01733 341 111 – with attractive prices on airport transfers too.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
Both around the ground and town centre, Peterborough is dotted with characterful pubs serving real ales, local brews and craft beers.
Pick of the bunch might be the Ostrich Inn, on North Street in the compact city centre. The local CAMRA Pub of the Year for 2022, this 200-year-old hostelry is far more than a purveyor of (extremely) varied ales – a live entertainment agenda covers the better part of the week.
For a serious selection of craft brews, on Church Street The Stoneworks bar does not mess about, with tap takeovers to complement the regular 25 or so. Closed Mon-Tue. Towards the station, the Queen’s Head shows sport, and serves craft brews and stone-baked pizzas in an open-plan environment.
The nearby Drapers Arms was built for a local draper in 1899. Today it’s a Wetherspoons pub, the conversion kind to the original stained glass and masonry. In the same family, the College Arms dates back to the same era, a former technical college now serving world beers and affordable meals. Also on Broadway, the party-minded Sir Henry Royce goes big on live TV sport.
Further along Westgate, the Brewery Tap is another excellent choice, home of the Oakham Ales microbrewery in a former labour exchange. Thai food also on offer. For Indian, with live sport and craft beer to boot, the Tap & Tandoor on Cumbergate is the Peterborough branch of this ever-growing new concept developed in Solihull.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the ground and around town
Visit Peterborough has a hotel database and booking function.
The nearest hotel to London Road is the Queensgate, just the other side of the stadium on Fletton Avenue, a modern, independent three-star. A little further down, on London Road itself, the ten-room Charlotte House is a comfortable B&B currently awaiting reopening.
Also close, on the stadium side, Clarks Guest House is handy and affordable.
Just over the river by the Town Bridge, the new-build Premier Inn Peterborough City Centre offers affordable accommodation a short walk from London Road. Also convenient for the stadium, the 115-room Park Inn by Radisson features a grill restaurant and in-house cosmetician.
Opposite the station, the Great Northern Hotel awaits a revamp, one that should ideally echo the railway age in which it was built.
By the Cathedral, the Bull Hotel is a historic four-star offering free parking nearby. Also central, the wallet-friendly Travelodge is set in a striking blue building.
