Why one of Peterborough's most iconic landmarks was removed from city centre
The Gates Memorial fountain was once a key feature of Cathedral Square
Take a walk through Bishop’s Road Gardens and you may notice, vying with fronds and branches for attention, an ornate monument that seems apologetically grand for its surroundings.
This impressive stone marker is the Gates Memorial, an elaborate fountain which once stood proudly as an iconic landmark at the heart of the city from the Victorian era onwards.
Nearly 15-feet tall and built from stone in the Gothic Revival style, the memorial acted as a focal point for many generations of Peterborians at the centre of Cathedral Square (then Market Square).
Vintage photos or prints of the city centre taken before the 1960s clearly show how the lofty Hogwarts-esque pillar dominated the square, even when surrounded by market stalls, trams or vast celebrating crowds.
The memorial was first erected in 1898 by Mrs Gates, the widow of the late Henry Pearson Gates.
She presented the fountain to the Mayor and asked him to accept it on behalf of all present and future inhabitants in the hope it would provide refreshment to the wayfarer and the weary.
Henry Pearson Gates was a prominent figure in the city, serving as Peterborough’s first Mayor on its incorporation in 1874. In addition, he was also the High Bailiff of the city, the High Sheriff of Hunts and Cambs, and the official secretary for the Bishops of Peterborough.
The memorial stood resolute through both world wars but was eventually moved – minus its drinking fountains – to its current home at Bishops Road gardens in 1967, when Market Square was renamed (and re-purposed) as Cathedral Square.