IN PHOTOS: Remembering the Great Fire of Peterborough 70 years on - August 22, 1956 will always be a dark day in the city’s history

Today (Saturday, August 22) marks exactly 70 years since a devastating fire ripped through Peterborough city centre.

Later becoming known as the ‘Great Fire of Peterborough’, the blaze started at the Robert Sayle department store on the corner of Cowgate and King Street on August 22, 1956.

At the time, the department store was operating under the John Lewis Partnership having been initially known as Thompsons (Peterborough) Ltd.

Dozens of firefighters worked to contain the ferocious blaze, which is believed to have started when some fabric close to lighting in a window display caught fire.

The Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, stationed just around the corner on King Street, was among the first to respond.

They were soon joined by reinforcements from across the area, including crews from Baker Perkins Ltd, Hotpoint Electric Appliance Co., and even two fire appliances from the United States Air Force base at Alconbury.

Despite intense efforts, the fire burned well into the evening before it was finally brought under control around 8:30pm.

By then, the damage was catastrophic.

Not only was the Robert Sayle store destroyed, but neighbouring businesses were also severely affected.

The financial loss was estimated at over £250,000, a staggering figure at the time.

Now, seven decades on from the fire, August 22 remains a dark day in Peterborough’s modern history.

Below are a collection of photos taken by the Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade which capture the ferocity of the fire on that fateful day 70 years ago.