Mike Petty - Biography

In 1964 Mike Petty discovered tucked away in a back room of Cambridge Library a collection of books, newspapers, maps, illustrations and ephemera on Cambridgeshire. It had been carefully collected for 110 years – but nobody had had the chance to sort it.

Over the next 30 years Mike Petty transformed it into the Cambridgeshire Collection, taking it into a separate suite in the new Central Library in Lion Yard. Over that time he became the most widely acknowledged authority on Cambridge and the fenland building up unique knowledge of resources which he continues to share through regular lectures to groups and societies. He has published several books & booklets and has a daily ‘Looking Back’ and two weekly columns – ‘Memories’ and Pickwick’s Cambridge Scrapbook 1838’ in Cambridge newspapers.

Mike has received various awards including an Honorary Fellowship from Anglia Polytechnic University, an Honorary MA from Cambridge University and the MBE for his work on Cambridgeshire history.

Mike offers a free consultation service for Cambridgeshire topics, supplemented with a chargeable research service. His wide experience in assisting thousands of enquirers for some 40 years and unrivalled knowledge of published material – books, newspapers, illustrations, maps etc – combine to provide a unique service for those researching any aspect of the area. An enquiry form is attached.