Peterborough has opened a new exhibition on Mary, Queen of Scots, that will remain in place until 15 November.
Mary was deposed as Queen of Scotland following the suspicious death of her first husband. She subsequently fled to England where she was held under house arrest by Elizabeth I, who was concerned that she may become a focal point for Catholic resistance to her rule.
Her fears were well founded. Mary was found to be involved with a plot to kill Elizabeth and place herself on the English throne. She was executed in 1587. Arguably she had the last laugh however, as her son James succeeded Elizabeth, becoming king of both England and Scotland, paving the way for the modern United Kingdom.
The new exhibition at Peterborough Cathedral, where Mary was buried for a time, will include talks, a radio play and a candlelit tour.
Jack Pishhorn, Peterborough Cathedral Chief Operating Officer, said of the exhibition, “This is amazing for us, as this is a real true story of the cathedral and an amazing piece of history.
"This exhibition is the story of her life, all the way through to her execution and burial, where she was here for 25 years before her son took [her] to Westminster Cathedral.
“We are very proud to be hosting it and are expecting tens of thousands of people to come through our doors over the next two months.”
As well as the temporary exhibition, Pishhorn hopes there would be permanent educational installations on Mary and that this in turn could help boost visitor numbers.
“Peterborough is really struggling with the tourism economy, and we play such an important role in that – by putting on these world class exhibitions, it does bring people into our city, and then it has that big impact on our shops, our cafes, our accommodation spaces," he said.
