THE YEW TREE

38 Hall Street, Soham, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5BW

'The Yew Tree' was situated a few doors away, and on the same side, as the ''The Bushel & Strike' In 1846, Mr Norman Kidd purchased the property in Hall Street, Soham, from Mr William Clack. Mr Kidd was a farmer and a licenced victualler. He had a son, Albert, and daughter, Julia who was married to John Hawes Raby, a local blacksmith. It was during Norman's life that Yew Tree House was selling beer and was known simply as 'The Yew Tree'. Norman's widow, Peggy, inherited the property on his death, and when she died on August 12th, 1884, the house passed to Albert, and Julia received the sum of £100.
In December of the same year, the house was purchased by Mrs Eliza Pettit for the sum of £260, and on her death it passed to her sons, Arthur and Charles, who sold it in 1898 for £312. The purchasers were Mr and Mrs Fred Peachey, who later moved to Mereside.
On February 2nd, 1924, it was bought by Mr and Mrs John Palmer who sold it on June 8th, 1925, to a builder from Surrey named Mr Charles George Hook. Mr Hook paid £600 for it, and the family lived there for many years. On his death it passed to his executors, Eunice and Theodore Hook, who were not local people and took some time in deciding the fate of the property.
After Eunice's death in 1936, Theodore made the decision to sell. The property was purchased by local flower-grower Mr W J Wright and his wife Lucy. The Wrights sold the house on March 7th, 1944 and the purchasers were members of the Turner family and the house belongs to Wallace Turner, who rents it to a tenant.
After Mr Wright's death a clock was purchased and commemorated to him in the Soham Salvation Army Hall.
The Yew Tree was not used as a pub before the time of Mr Norman Kidd, and not used as one following his death. Thus it is remarkable that folk today ever knew it to be a pub at all, and yet the name lingers on in the form of the tiny Cul-de-sac to the left hand side of the former pub called 'The Yew Trees'.