THE ANCHOR (THE STATION HOTEL)

Station Road, Soham, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5DZ

The railway reached Soham on 1st September 1879 when the Ely to Newmarket railway line was built. The picture above was the view of Soham for those arriving by train and setting off down Station Road. On the left is 'The Station Hotel', previously known as 'The Anchor' and later 'The Railway', and now the Fair Haven home for the elderly. Around the turn of the century, the green in front of the Station Hotel was a popular spot for local men to stage bare-knuckled boxing matches for entertainment and, no doubt, wagers.
The pub has been in existence since the days when Soham - then Some - was a sea port, it was kept in 1839 by Mr Giles Clark who was succeeded by Mr George Clark, who was the landlord in 1853. From the early dictionary of the town it states that in 1864, Mr Robert Aspland was licensee and by 1879 the house had once again changed hands and the landlord was Mr Jonas Leonard
In 1883 the pub had been re-named 'The Station Hotel', having previously been referred to as 'The Anchor'. It is not really surprising that the pub should have borne such a name as it stands in the vicinity of where the boats once used to dock.
The next landlord was Mr Alfred Rising who locals may remember as the horse dealer. A field at the rear of the premises used to house the popular Soham Autumn Fair and later the travelling fairs until in later years these took place on "Palmers Field". There used to be a very distinctive nautical flavour at the bar where many articles of interest pertaining to the sea used to stand.
When Mrs Rising kept the pub she had one customer Mr Mison, a former railway porter, who would spend the tips that he had received in helping people with their baggage, and would go to the pub to purchase a small barrel of beer which he would consume while he was at work!
In years gone by there would have been horses and  carts and pony and traps that would line the approach road as they conveyed people, goods and possessions to the station. What an impressive sight they would have made.
In later years the pub was kept by Mr Fred Ford who later began a haulage firm which eventually moved to Pratt Street. His son Robert was able to recall some items of interest. In the Soham Railway Disaster of June 2nd 1944 the pub suffered extensive damage when a wall and roof were blown out. The landlord at this time was named Mr Neal and he kept the pub for approximately seven years.