Facts about Soham
General Info
Soham is a town and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census. The A142 road from Ely to Newmarket runs past Soham, and formerly ran through the town and is served by an hourly bus service Monday to Friday (on a route linking Cambridge, Newmarket and Ely) and a reduced service on Saturday.
History
Luttingus, an Anglo-Saxon nobleman, built a cathedral and palace at Soham around 900 AD, on the site of the present-day Church of St Andrew’s and adjacent land. St Andrew’s Church dates from the 12th century. Traces of the Saxon cathedral are said to still exist within the church. In 1102 Hubert de Burgh, Chief Justice of England, granted ‘Ranulph’ certain lands in trust for the Church of St Andrew’s.
Ranulph is recorded as the first Vicar of Soham and had a hand in designing the ‘new’ Norman church. The current church is mainly later, the tower being the latest addition in the 15th century. This tower was built to replace a fallen crossing tower and now contains ten bells. The back six were cast in 1788, with two new trebles and two bells being recast in 1808. There are some pictures and a description of the church at the Cambridgeshire Churches website.
