80 (33) Newmarket Road, Bene’t House & Warwicker’s Yard, Benet Brewery / Seven Sisters Brewery

History of 80 Newmarket Road

Warwicker’s Yard lay at the back of Bene’t House. It was from here on 19th May 1829 that the famous aeronaut, Mr Green, accompanied by two members of the university ascended in a balloon. In 1847 Charles Green launched himself from Parker’s Pieces as record in the diary of Josiah Chater.

Early 19th cent: Warwicker and Co operated a brewery here. After 1829 Charles Green made many balloon ascents. That on 28th June 1832, part of the Coronation celebrations, was his 151st. jacob Warwicker was on the Coronation Festivities Committee.

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1850s site leased to Henry Pegg who continued as brewer. he was also butler at Peterhouse.

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1890 brewery run by wife Elizabeth then son William.

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1901 (33)

Elizabeth Pegg, widow, 75, b Cambridge

Jessie, 30, b Cambridge

William, 36, brewer, b Cambridge [also a butler at Peterhouse]

Elizabeth, daughter in law, 28, b Cambridge

William, grandson, 8, b Cambridge

Henry, grandson, 4, b Cambridge

Jessie, grand daughter, 1, b Cambridge

Daisy Challice, visitor, 13, b Cambridge

Lydia Greene, 20, servant, b Cambridge

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1907

William Pegg’s brewery, Newmarket Road — unlawful beer sales, 5 November 1907
A brewer’s drayman was fined for hawking beer. An Inland Revenue officer said he saw a boy stop a cart belonging to William Pegg, brewer of Newmarket Road, and say “They want you over there”, pointing to some men engaged in harvesting. The man had taken them a gallon jar off the cart for which he received one shilling. It was extremely unfair to sell beer that way as it took away from the custom of those who were legally entitled to sell it. The brewer said he had told the drayman not to sell beer without an order; the brewing business was a hobby of his and he would not be intentionally guilty of an illegal practice. 07 11 05 & a
Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Newmarket Road Scrapbook 1897 to 1990, entry 1907 11 05.

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1913 Bene’t House

Mrs Elizabeth Pegg

Willie E Pegg, brewer

Business was transferred to 76/78 Newmarket Road, a site owned by Pegg himself.

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1939

W G Pye was active in two different areas of military production. It produced most of the receivers used by the new RDF or radar network. It also manufactured a two-way wireless for use by the infantry. About 14,00 sets were made and designs for radio sets for tanks were also produced. They worked on devices such as OBOE which helped bombers find their targets. A director of Pye was seconded to Bomber Command. Miniaturised radio transmitters and receivers also helped create better proximity fuses for use against aircraft and V1 flying bombs.

See Mike Osborne, Defending Cambridge p.171.

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1962

W G Pye, electrical engineers