Café inspired by famous Cambridge rock star to open in building empty for years

A café and bar celebrating the legacy of a famous Cambridge rock star is set to open this spring. The Artyst is a project managed by Matthew Taylor, who hopes to use the space to commemorate Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett.

The venue on Chesterton Road was originally set to open last year until the project 'evolved'. The former bank building has been empty since around 2020.

Mr Taylor has previously put on concerts inspired by Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. He decided to turn the building "into a venue that celebrates Barrett's legacy" after getting in touch with his sister, Rosemary Breen.

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Aside from being a café and bar, the venue is going to be open to the community events. Mr Taylor said: "There's a big basement which we want to turn into a space where people can have workshops and small concerts.

"We don't want to be prescriptive about it. The idea is that we make it available to the local community and so, if people want to do talks or they want to do a poetry reading, they can. We want to make it as open as we possibly can."

When asked about why he wanted to commemorate Syd Barrett, Mr Taylor said: "Pink Floyd came out of Cambridge but there is very little about them in the city. We think it's time to celebrate them and especially Syd, as he was the co-founder of the band.

"In Cambridge, there are a few small things. If you compare it to Liverpool and The Beatles, they have everything from tours to museums.

"Pink Floyd is absolutely globally huge but the city doesn't really celebrate them. We've talked to family, we've talked to Pink Floyd's management, we've talked to Roger Waters' management, and they are all behind it."

Mr Taylor also has permission to use photographs of Syd Barrett in the 1970s taken by Mick Rock to promote the venue. Mr Taylor would like to hold an exhibition at the café featuring the photographs in the future.

The café will sell artisanal coffee, food made using locally sourced ingredients with vegan options available, and a few "unique cocktails inspired by Syd Barrett's creativity". Mr Taylor has created a crowdfunder to help raise money to create the space and would "like people to start feeling involved in a project". You can follow The Artyst's progress via its social media accounts.

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