The lost Cambridge pub that has been boarded up for years

No more clinks of glasses, rustles of crisp packets, or murmurs of gossip – The Zebra in Cambridge called last orders many years ago now. The pub on Maids Causeway, a short walk from the Grafton Centre, has now been boarded up for many years.

The pub had been operating since at least 1861, according to Capturing Cambridge. The census of that year showed 54-year-old William Unwin, a carpenter and publican from Wilbraham, living there with what seems to be his wife and two daughters.

In more recent years, the pub closed to be refurbished. It reopened in September 2010, under new management.

• Read next: Join CambridgeshireLive's free WhatsApp channel for the latest breaking news straight to your phone

• Read next: Nine medieval Cambridgeshire villages that have been lost in time

However, the reopening did not last long and it closed again in 2011. For a short time, the former bar served as a toy shop while people lived in the upstairs accommodation.

CAMRA said: "A one time popular Greene King pub between the Grafton Shopping Centre and Midsummer Common. A string of licensee changes left it somewhat in limbo."

A 2014 planning application was approved on appeal and intended to convert the building to create student accommodation for Anglia Ruskin University. However, a second application was submitted in 2017 to demolish the pub and build six two-bedroom apartments.

The planning statement submitted with the 2017 application said: "The changes in drinking habits and patterns on a national basis have been well documented and The Zebra, like many public houses, has not been commercially viable for a significant period of time."

Campaigners objected to the application and said they believed the pub could still be 'viable'. Some objections to the application criticised the appearance of the proposed building, saying it looked "corporate and bland".

No decision was reached on the planning application and a Cambridge City Council spokesperson said the authority is not aware of any future plans for the pub. The Zebra still stands, boarded up and empty, a ghost of its former self.