RURAL ENGLAND: The farmer had come to town and was herding these sheep home that he had bought at the Cattle Market along Westgate in the 1890s. Market Day was a real event in the city and people came from all over the area not only to buy farm livestock but domestic pets such as rabbits too.
The market with its hundreds of pens covered the whole of the current market area and the land occupied by Bayard Place.

TRIBUTE PIECE: An atmospheric 1905 portrait of Peterborough Market Place – now Cathedral Square. You can see the Gates Memorial, a drinking fountain which was a tribute to Peterborough's first mayor, in the background. It was moved to the Bishop's Road gardens in the 1960s.

SOMBRE OCCASION: You would never guess from the sombre look of this picture that the event was the Proclamation of the Bridge Fair in October 1929. The procession started from the Guildhall and wound its way through town to the Fair Meadows in Oundle Road.
Today's fair-goers don't take it quite so seriously.

MEETING PLACE: Bridge Street as we know it today is almost recognisable from this '20s shot taken from old warehouses which stood alongside the Iron Bridge which today marks the site of the Town Bridge. The area looked rather elegant with trees, shop awnings and pedestrians leisurely watching horse carriages and motor cars go by. The bridge was obviously a meeting place to stop for a chat.

ALMSHOUSES: Exchange Street in 1901 showing part of the old almshouses in the forefront which in modern times became an Italian restaurant. Cathedral Square (just out of shot) is on the right. Turning left would lead you into Queensgate and the Westgate Arcade.

Bill Slater from Crowland rang to share his memories of the expansion of Bridge Street, following this photograph published on last week's Looking Back page.
He said: "I can remember when they took part of Narrow Bridge Street down, that was in about 1929. I was about seven and my dad was in the haulage business and he had a lorry. I can remember going with him when they knocked the eastern side down. We used to go there and I used to have a ride with him. He used to take the collect the rubble and take it to the farmers in Postland and they used to make farm roadways up and gateways."