Platform Seven begins and ends in a place that is shared by many, if not most, visitors and residents alike. Yet, stunning and beautiful though it may be, the cathedral is not even mentioned in Platform Seven - perhaps a reflection of the fact that, although it is widely visible, for many of the diverse communities that make up this city it is not a place of shared identification and ownership. So, if one were to write a novel set in Peterborough, where would it begin? There is, of course, with its fine west front, the magnificent cathedral, where Catherine of Aragon is buried and St Oswald’s uncorrupted arm was once kept. It does, of course, depend on the novel, and there are notable exceptions, such as Mark Haddon’s A Spot of Bother, or Marina Lewycka’s A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, the latter capturing in a hilariously funny and yet deeply sad way the life of some of the local immigrant communities that are a part of the life of this city. TO BE honest, Peterborough (where I live) is not an obvious place to set a novel.
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