Short Project History 1998 - 2009

The Soham Museum Project began life in June 1998 at a public meeting concerning the regeneration of Soham. The Civic Trust who had been brought in to advise East Cambridgeshire District Council regarded Soham as a key location in East Cambridgeshire for regeneration and visual improvement.  Ten years on, much of the intended regeneration of the town centre has been achieved, but lack of funding and attention to the retail sector has seen a town centre which flourished until the early 1980's fall into commercial decline.

In 1998 it was felt that a community based museum would attract tourism to the area and support economic growth. Consequently the committee of two, founders, Councillor Lionel Hart and resident Donna Martin arrived at the name 'Soham Community History Museum', a name which encapsulated the intentions of the project. It was orginally considered that the museum would play a major role in the regeneration of the town centre, but ten years on the acquisition of a central premises remains elusive. For the time being then, Soham Community History Museum exists as a Living History Museum, we have a presence on the world wide web, hold regular 'History Group Meetings', annual Open Days, and other local events.

The ethos of the museum project evolved through a process of discussion with local agencies which identified a need for a far reaching and broad prospectus. Because it was a new concept, Soham Community History Museum could define its own parameters and wasn't as restricted as other local heritage initiatives. The committee proper was formed in January 1999 and from the beginning set out to research and collect anything that had links with Soham. 

The first obstacle to overcome was the misrecording of Soham's important history. Chairman and Project Leader, Donna Martin had already identified problems in the historical record, and in the year 2000 a small book The Soham Book 2000 was published in order to raise awareness of some of Soham's important historical connections. It became obvious that the history of Soham had been overlooked because the town resides in the shadow of Ely Cathedral. Ultimately, research has revealed that Soham has a unique and undeniably intriguing history all of it’s own dating back to the Stone Age.

In June 2008, Soham Community History Museum celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a pledge to find premises. In just 10 years the project has amassed a collection running into thousands of items, and an extensive local archive. Our commitment to 'Living History' means that we work within the community, exploring not just the physical history of the town but sharing the memories of the townspeople and families that have dwelt here for generations. Our recent oral history projects have resulted in the publications of two fine books, Soham at War and Soham on the Home Front.

There are now fifteen volunteers who give their time and expertise to the museum committee and we have a dedicated fund raising committee and a 'Friends of Soham Museum' membership scheme. Our events are well attended and increasingly successful. In 2007 our fund raising capacity was extended from £1,000 per year to over £3,000. Whilst that may not be enough to finance a premises, it does help the museum to function on a day to day basis and affords us the luxury of publishing the history of what we perceive to be and what evidence tells us was historically a very important place.