Soham Abbey facts for kids

Soham Abbey was an important Anglo-Saxon monastery located in Soham, a town that was part of the Kingdom of East Anglia long ago. It was built by a special person named St Felix of Burgundy in the early 600s. This made Soham Abbey the very first Roman Christian site in the area we now call Cambridgeshire.

Sadly, the abbey faced a big challenge in 869. The Danes, who were Viking warriors, attacked East Anglia. Soham Abbey was destroyed during this attack and was never rebuilt. However, a church and a palace were later built on or near the site.

The Abbey Church Building

People believe the church at Soham Abbey was short and wide, with a long section sticking out to the north. It likely had four or five main sections, called bays, and a round tower stood nearby. St. Felix, who founded the abbey, was originally buried right here.

Today, the main church in Soham is dedicated to St Andrew, not St Felix. Many think it stands on the exact spot where the old abbey once was. The oldest parts of the current church were built during Norman times, around the 1100s. For example, the central part where the church arms meet, called the crossing, dates from this period.

What Soham Abbey Looked Like

We know a little about how the abbey looked from an old picture, called a woodcut. This picture shows the abbey surrounded by other buildings where the monks lived and worked. The whole area was protected by a wall and a moat, which is a deep ditch filled with water.

You can still find traces of this old moat today! It forms a circle around parts of Soham. You can follow its path by looking at streets like Station Road, Gardiners Lane, Clay Street, Brook Dam Lane, and Paddock Street.