Civic Pride: So many surprises on our Hampton adventure

In particular I attempt to praise our city centre, the Cathedral, Guildhall, Cathedral Square, Bridge Street and so on.

Consequently, it takes a lot to surprise me but surprised I was when my son Dan and I took a walk around the area where he now lives – Hampton. Of course I had been to Hampton before – I’m a regular visitor to Serpentine Green shopping centre and, in my professional life many years ago, I had visited Hampton Hargate and Hampton Vale primary schools. But I was completely unprepared for what was to follow.

It was one of the last bright sunny days of summer as we set off from Midwater Crescent, the street in Hampton Vale where he lives for our adventure – and adventure it certainly was. I was amazed at what we found. I just hadn’t realised the extent to which Hampton has grown.

Before long I was struck by the amount of water in the area – Serpentine Lake, Beeby’s West, East and North lakes and even Wake Park, an established lake where people can go wakeboarding (look it up!).

These lakes cover vast areas - indeed I would wager that the largest of them matches anything in Ferry Meadows. We saw dozens of geese and other water birds and there was plenty of space for joggers and dog walkers to enjoy the open air without disturbing these wild creatures.

Other stretches of water resembled mini-Dutch canals and waterways, many clearly designed to manage the water flow.

The houses themselves look neat and well-designed. I particularly liked those three-storey houses that overlook water and possess a Juliette balcony on the first floor and a full-scale balcony on the top floor.

Of course I recognise the ‘newness’ of these developments and time will tell if they look and feel clean and tidy in the years to come.

Another feature that struck me was the way that the design was sympathetic for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Nowhere felt cramped and there was a ‘spread-out’ feel to the layout – virtually all the area is subject to a 20mph speed limit and nowhere did this feel an imposition.

We finished our walk by climbing to the top of the Tump, a man-made hill overlooking the older parts of Hampton and, in comparison to the flat landscape for miles around, Peterborough’s Mount Everest.

From there we could see the roads radiating outward from Hargate Way and appreciate how far the township has grown, whilst hearing the exuberant chatter of the children enjoying a lunchtime run- around in Hampton Hargate primary school’s playground below.

In total we walked eight miles and, although my legs were sore, my eyes were opened to a part of Peterborough hitherto largely a foreign land, and expanding so fast it has nearly joined up with Yaxley.

If I were to live in Hampton I would have little reason to shop in Peterborough city centre, which reinforces my view that future emphasis on the centre should concentrate on leisure activities, entertainment, cafes, bars and attractions for locals and visitors from further afield alike, as opposed to shopping.

Peterborough has always been good at expansion, particularly to the north and west and now it is the area to the south that is expanding at a rapid rate. Whether we like it or not Peterborough is doing what Peterborough does best – change, and Hampton is the latest example of this. Go and have a look for yourselves, make your own minds up. Viewing advised!

•On November 11 the Civic Society’s monthly talk is ‘The History of Dovecotes’ the speaker being Colin Ray, an acknowledged expert on the subject, who originates from a small Suffolk village. He has lived and worked in London, Essex and Northamptonshire and his particular professional interests relate to historic buildings and environmental improvements.

We are at our usual venue of St Marks Church Hall, Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 2SN. Doors open at 7.15pm for 7.45 start. Non-members are welcome but we rely totally on subscriptions and donations, therefore we request that a donation of £5.00 is made, unless they become members of the Society on the night. Membership forms will be available. All welcome – see you there!