Trams at Last

23/01/1903

Information

It was on this Friday that the long-delayed Board of Trade inspection of Peterborough's new tram system took place - officialdom always takes its time, you know. Two trams left the depot for the Market Place to pick up the official parties. When everyone - including the inspectors - was on board the first car, the driver set off with a fearful jerk, throwing virtually all the officials off their feet! One wonders whether this was a case of nerves, carelessness or intent - we'll never know that. However, the driver reversed the car, made a fresh start and moved off in an extremely smooth manner. The second car followed on, carrying several members of the council and members of the press. Despite this faulty start, the trams passed the test with flying colours. The Peterborough tram service was formally approved and trams from Long Causeway to Walton and Dogsthorpe were able to start carrying passengers. At this time, the Peterborough Electric Traction Co. had twelve open-topped trams for the service. Why, you may ask, were the trams open top? It was because roofed trams would have been too high to pass under the Rhubarb Bridge! (Mitchell, Neil, Streets of Peterborough, 2007; Peterborough Advertiser)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.

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ARPs

17/11/1939

Information

It was in September 1935 that the British prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, published a circular entitled Air Raid Precautions (ARPs), inviting local authorities to make plans to protect their people in event of a war. Although notorious for so often being last to do things, Peterborough appears to have been on the ball here and began to implement ARP soon after the outbreak of the conflict. It was on this day that the London Brick Co. at Fletton stated that all of its precautions were completed and, in all the works at Fletton, some form of protection was available. A number of old tunnels with 15ft to 20ft of earth above them had been turned into shelters with 'baffle walls' at the ends to make them safe from blasts and flying debris. Where there were no convenient tunnels they had built brick-lined trenches, covered them with sheets of corrugated iron and then piled quite a few feet of earth on top. All protective places had seating, a water supply, toilet facilities and emergency lighting. At the museum in Priestgate, the old cellars - dating back to the sixteenth century - were brought into use as very effective air-raid shelters. (Grey, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Grey, 2011)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.