There are things about Peterborough which you may not know, for instance, it hosts a huge antiques fair twice a year on the East of England Showground. This is always a good hunting ground and one of my finds at the fair last week was this Prisoner of War work domino set.
The French officer painted on the box looks very like Napoleon Bonaparte or "Little Boney" as seen in the print above and, as it turns out, during the Napoleonic Wars Peterborough was home to the world's first purpose-built POW camp at nearby Norman Cross.
The prisoners were well fed, humanely treated and permitted to make beautiful toys and decorative items from waste materials like bones from their beef ration (1 lb. each per day!). These were then sold on market day.
Peterborough Museum has a large collection of these pieces and, though it may be fancy on my part, the most delicate of these could have been inspired by the fine Gothic detail on Peterborough Cathedral.
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You have rightly laboured the point about the amount of beef they ate, today I could make a family sized cottage pie out of that quantity. It is little wonder that they had so much bone to fiddle around with - the things they made were very intricate and detailed.
ReplyDeleteThe fan vaulting in Peterborough Cathedral is wonderful.
Oops! That was a mistake, not a literary device!
DeleteWe were surprised by how interesting the Peterborough area is - usually we just whizz past on our way down the A1.
Hello, nilly...
ReplyDeleteAlways, always amazed at the sheer awesomeness of our cathedrals...and Peterborough is no exception..WOW.
~ hugs Maria x
Thanks Maria - it's great to explore old places & new!
DeleteWhat an amazing find - I have never been to Peterborough - it was always the place that seemed to mark north from south when travelling on the train. The cathedral is stunning, isn't it? And the facts you give us about the POWs (and their prodigious beef consumption!) are fascinating, their work is truly exquisite. Great post, Nilly! Axxx
ReplyDeleteYou are right - not Watford but Peterborough! I think the northern accent starts even further up the track.
DeleteThank you for your unusual and beautifully illustrated postings. I am a huge fan!
ReplyDeleteThanks Judie - your blog keeps me intrigued and informed too!
DeleteWhat a marvellous find. Those carvings are exquisite aren't they?
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Katherine of Aragon is buried there and Mary Queen of Scots was too, until her son James 1st removed her body to Westminster Abbey?
I didn't know until we visited! The cathedral is very well presented, with part of an aisle devoted to it's history, with illustrated boards and detailed information. There are also cabinets full of ancient church plate and other treasures.
DeleteA wonderful entry! We have always bypassed Peterborough on our travels in England, but will stop by next time! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt is well worth the effort - we shall visit again as we were too early in the season to visit Longthorpe Tower which sounds interesting.
DeleteWell, today I was in Peterborough - for the umpteenth time - more precisely I changed trains at Peterborough Station. I have visited the cathedral and the shopping centre but decades ago. Every time I pass through or change trains I think a revisit to the cathedral needs to be done. The same goes for Ely. Lovely themed post again. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI found the Cathedral fascinating and beautiful, not least for the presence of handsome Victorian Gurney heaters, still pumping out heat very efficiently. NOT a Norfolk Gurney, however - this inventor was a Cornishman.
DeleteGurney heaters are alive and kicking in Tewkesbury Abbey as well.
DeleteWhat a lovely, interesting post. The intricacy of those beautiful carvings made me gasp and I agree with you about their inspiration. Thank you for visiting me and have a very happy week. Jane xx
ReplyDeleteFascinating and wonderful post.
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