Restoring Peterborough Arch
In 2025, Nene Park Trust received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, Peterborough Civic Society, Compare the Market and donations gratefully received from our visitors and supporters, to save the much-loved Peterborough Arch sculpture.
The Peterborough Arch sculpture is a recognisable local landmark and has been welcoming residents and newcomers to the City for over 35 years. The outdoor, wooden sculpture was commissioned and installed next to Longthorpe Parkway by Peterborough Development Corporation in 1987, during the development of Peterborough as a New Town. Without this funding the sculpture could be lost to the City forever.
Alongside the urgent sculpture conservation work, The National Lottery Heritage Fund funding will share the heritage stories in the Collection with children and young people. The Collections Stories project will support the sustainability of Peterborough Sculpture Collection and increase access to local heritage.
Volunteers, visitors, community groups and schools have been able to take part in the project through events, activities and training opportunities, allowing even more people to enjoy and play a part in Peterborough’s cultural heritage.
So far, our project activities include:
- Young Heritage Rangers workshops including creation of a new ‘Eels & Ladders’ Heritage Game and activities exploring the Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail.
- Creative workshops inspired by the Peterborough Arch sculpture with children at Families First HAF club in Bretton
- Pop-Up Heritage activities including the ‘Eels & Ladders’ Heritage Game’ with families at Ferry Meadows.
- A Peterborough Arch design competition for children and adults.
- Development of a new heritage resource pack for primary school visits to Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail, including a Teacher Resource Pack and Schools Visit Activity Pack.
- Sculpture Care volunteers training and conservation sessions at Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail.
In the long-term the project will build the skills of staff and sculpture care volunteers and raise awareness of the Peterborough Sculpture Collection.
For more information about the project, please contact art@neneparktrust.org.uk
The restoration of Peterborough Arch has been funded with the generous support of Henry Moore Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Peterborough Civic Society, Compare the Market and donations gratefully received from our supporters.
Our funders
What do these sculptures look like to you?
The five fun animations below bring to life some of the sculptures at Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail and have been produced as part of Nene Park Trust’s Collection Stories project funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In October half-term 2025 young people took part in Heritage Rangers Week – a week of research, walks, and design activities, ending with delivery of a public event in Ferry Meadows. The ideas for the animation were developed by young Heritage Rangers during a walk and talk activity with artist Rose Croft at Thorpe Meadows Sculpture Trail. During the walk we explored the Park and sculptures and imagined new stories about the artworks.
Thank you to Nene Park staff and our Sculpture Care volunteers for being the voices of the animation.
