Then and now: 100 years of the High Street

It started life 100 years ago when shopkeepers and other businesses got together to give themselves more of a say.

A century later, Peterborough's chamber of commerce is still working to help its businesses and the High Street stay relevant.

But how is the city faring in the ever changing online world? What of its past and what is still to come?

The woman at the helm of the chamber says it has a "fantastic future".

The Peterborough Chamber merged with other local chambers at the turn of the 21st Century to became part of the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce.

Charlotte Horobin, its chief executive, says the chamber in Peterborough was built on a "foundation of local business owners coming together so they could have a much stronger voice".

She credits the ARU Peterborough campus, the Peterborough Positive Business Improvement District and the cathedral for working together to improve the city.

"There are things that are always fundamental for a city centre," she says.

"It's where people live and meet. We've got a very diverse city centre that should be celebrated. Our city centres are changing and evolving. That's something to embrace."

While city centres are facing challenging times, Horobin says Peterborough has a shop vacancy rate below the national average.

And she says the redevelopment of the station quarter is important for the city's success.

"It will be essential to make sure that we've got a really fresh vibrant welcoming city centre. It's very much about dwell time and making sure that there are a number of reasons for people to come into the city."

Peterborough Civic Society campaigns to "foster a pride of place" in the city.

Its vice chairman, Toby Wood, says the city of 100 years ago would have had a very different feel to it.

"The nature of city centres all over the country, not just Peterborough, is changing – not necessarily for better or worse. I actually think that people come now for recreation," he says.

Wood would like to see the city become a regional centre.

"People wouldn't necessarily be buying lots of products, but they will be coming here to enjoy the buildings, like the wonderful cathedral, and having a really good day out," he says.

Queensgate shopping centre opened in 1982, before the increase in out-of-town retail parks and the rise of the internet.

Some retailers in Peterborough have noticed a change in the number of shoppers coming into the city.

One of those is Anna Aig-Imoru, who has run Smart Kidz Shoes for 13 years and who is finding trade more difficult.

"More shops have closed down and that affects the number of people coming in," she says.

"I'm finding that more people concentrate on online shopping... [but] I will never give up and I'm still fighting."

Do people visiting the city centre think the High Street is still relevant?

Debbie Trafford, 62, from Warboys, near Huntingdon, says it does still have a place.

"I am of the generation that starts to buy things online, but know that the older generations do still need to try things on and need to see what they can buy," she says.

"It's better to come and find the quirky things and great to see the market stalls."

Kimberley Cook, 38, from the Peterborough suburb of Bretton, and 18-year-old daughter Mia still enjoy coming into town together but are increasingly turning to the internet.

"I don't use it as much as I used to," says Kimberley.

"Online is easier and there's not as much here as there used to be."

So what of the future for the city in an increasingly online world?

Leigh Tilbrook is a director setting up a new business featuring a barber shop, a gym and hospitality space to try to bring more people into Peterborough.

He admits he is taking a risk with the business, Old Station Quarter, which is housed in an old warehouse once used for railway wagons.

"We really believe in what we are doing," he says. "A lot of people have got out of retail shopping with people going online. We want to get people coming into the centre and spending time together in one space."

Much like today, Peterborough and the world were facing challenging times in 1926, with a general strike and changing politics.

Reflecting on the city and the chamber's future, Horobin says: "We will continue to be that constant thread that is here to support our businesses to grow."

The chamber is having an event later in the year to celebrate the centenary and the city.

"I think that Peterborough has got a fantastic future. [We are] genuinely on the cusp of a really exciting chapter."

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