Lime Tree Farm and the Coe Family, Cherry Hinton
Lime Tree Farm stood on the northern side of Cherry Hinton Road, more or less opposite where the Army Reserve Centre and BP garage are today, on the other side of the road, a little to the west of Cherry Hinton Hall. The Coe family lived there for over a hundred years, originally market gardeners, growing produce on the surrounding land and fields, by the 1950's a tea room and small shop had opened at the farmhouse run by Mrs Elsie Coe, eventually becoming a small independent shop run by her daughter-in-law Mrs Eileen Coe in the 1980's, after the market gardening had ceased. In the 1990's Mr Cyril Coe and Mrs Eileen Coe sold off the remaining farm surrounding the main house, where the modern Coe's Court was built. They then had a bungalow built on the site, facing Cherry Hinton Road, for themselves - the old house eventually being demolished, as the new development continued. Mr Cyril Coe died in 2006 and Mrs Eileen Coe died in 2009. This ended the Coe family line at the site of the what was Lime Tree Farm. The old pollarded lime trees along the front of the site still remain today, and many people who have lived in the area still remember visiting the little shop that was once so popular.
During lockdown in 2020, I compiled an in-depth history of Lime Tree Farm in Cherry Hinton, a site that was home to the Coe family for over a century and which forms a fascinating chapter in the story of Cambridge’s market gardening past.
The full story tracks generations of the Coe family, from Richard Coe’s arrival in the 1700s, to the final chapter in the 2000s when the farmhouse was sold and the land developed. Along the way, it charts their orchards, land purchases, family tragedies, and the evolving Cherry Hinton landscape around them.
Perhaps you even remember visiting the little shop at Lime Tree Farm, many locals still do. If you’re curious to explore the story further then you can download and read my full illustrated ‘notes’ report by clicking the button below:
Comments:
David Turner
27/10/2020 05:11:43 pm
Dear Michelle
I have just come across your blog via various Cambridge Family history sites, ie C&HFS. of which I am member.
Richard Coe (B c1756) and Mary Coe nee Witt (b c1752) where my 4x Great Grand parents. Therefore, all of those in your blog are, various numbers of Greats, Aunts Uncles and cousins of varying distance.
I am only a fraction of the way through reading the blog and have found it fascinating and informative. I will finish it off tomorrow.
One thing I have found that I have differs from your blog is Richard and Mary's children. You have three, which I have found. But I have also found the following
Susannah 1784-1837
Mary 1786-1853
Joanna or Hannah 1794-1802
I have not done a lot of work on these three children, but I am fairly certain they are correct.
I will now go back a check my facts.
Thank you for a most enlightening read full of things I did not know about this side of my family tree.
Regards
David Turner
Michelle Bullivant
22/11/2021 12:32:47 pm
Thank you for your kind comments and information - I could do so much more research on the family and now you've given me some more! ha :) It is brilliant that Coe family relatives are seeing this and a quick read through the comments here shows a couple of you already, this is all going to help with finding out more and continuing the tale!
John Eaton Wright
15/11/2021 09:53:08 pm
Michelle, What great work you have done. Getting local information is a little easier when you are close. I am 17,000km from Cherry Hinton. Richard Coe and Mary Witt are my sixth great grandparents, I do go back a couple of more generation. Years ago, I used to talk to Ceta Coe/Cherry. It was Gabriel Coe that came with his wife and family to Australia.
Thanks again
Michelle Bullivant
22/11/2021 12:29:33 pm
John, this is amazing! Thank you for your kind comments and for letting me know about your brilliant connection to the Coe's - it's so interesting to see how the family spread out and to speak to direct Coe relatives is even better! Lovely to hear from you :)
9/5/2022 08:03:23 pm
Thank you for all your work on the Coe family Tree. I also have been working on our family tree and can confirm your information matches what I have discovered as well. You have been able to find out more than that I have so far. Very interesting. My family is descended through James Baron Coe and we live in Bury St Edmunds now. Not many miles from Cherry Hinton where the coe family began all those years ago! I just came across your blog when researching the coe family. Many thanks
Michelle Bullivant
10/5/2022 12:32:05 pm
Thanks for your comments Paul, it's great to know that you've found some of my dabbling in to the Coe family of interest - there's so much more to find out and add, so it's great when other family members come along and we find that connection :)
John Eaton Wright
13/5/2022 12:42:59 pm
How can I contact these relatives of mine.
Michelle Bullivant
15/10/2022 05:01:09 pm
Dear John, Unfortunately I can not pass you anyone's personal contact details but as you can see from the comments above you may have a couple of relatives that have commented here and you could get in touch with them. You could also write to the Cherry Hinton Local History Society (search them on google) and write a small piece for their newsletter, asking for any relatives to get in touch with you. I hope that helps. All the best, Michelle