With the World Cup underway, Peterborough Archives is sharing a selection of documents that highlight the city’s rich football history. From Peterborough United Football Club to teams formed within local businesses, the people of Peterborough have a long tradition of playing the beautiful game.
The image attached shows a 1914 team photograph of the Westwood Works football team (reference MJG/2/1/52). The team consisted of employees from Werner Pfleiderer & Perkins Ltd, which purchased 10 acres of land for factories on Westfield Road and would later become Baker Perkins. At the time the photograph was taken, the team played on a pitch alongside the railway line, opposite the works office.
Other football-related records in the collection include the first official programme of Baker Perkins Football Club (reference PAS/BP/7/22/15/7). The archives also hold a photograph and list of players from the 1904–05 Peterborough Town Football Club team, winners of the Senior Cup that year (reference PTF/1/1/1), as well as a photograph of Peterborough City Football Club with supporters, circa 1910 (reference PWMS/1/15).
Within collection CBP/17/30/1 are local government records relating to Peterborough United Football Club, including a petition and documents concerning the development of its grounds.
The Local Studies collection also contains further football-related material, including newspapers on microfilm where historic match results can be viewed, alongside books and ephemera documenting the history of football in Peterborough.
To learn more about these collections, please visit Peterborough Archives at Central Library, Broadway, Peterborough, PE1 1RX. You can also email archives.service@peterbroughlimited.co.uk or call 01733 864160 for further information.