Cambridge Historian

What an amazing evening at The Artyst for our sold out Cambridge 60s Music Scene talk!

It was fantastic to welcome Michael Richardson and his wife Cheryl from the band Forever Amber, along with Rob Parker, whose father, Dave "Dean" Parker, was the lead singer of Dave "Dean" Parker and the Recaps.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and made the evening so special. We had a wonderful time sharing stories, memories, and chatting with so many of you. Your support and enthusiasm made it a night to remember!

Twenty years ago today, we lost Syd Barrett, a founding member and the original lead singer of Pink Floyd. Born and raised in Cambridge, Barrett became one of the city's most influential musical figures. He died on 7th July 2006 at the age of 60. An English singer, guitarist and songwriter, he helped shape the sound of psychedelic rock before withdrawing from the music industry and living a largely private life.

Continuing our look back at Cambridge’s record shops, today we turn to Andy’s Records.

Andy Gray began selling second hand 45s and vintage 78 rpm records on Felixstowe Pier in 1969. After five years, he acquired a stall on Cambridge Market, which quickly became hugely successful. In 1976, he opened the first Andy’s Records shop on Mill Road, Cambridge. Other shops followed in the years that followed, and Andy’s Records became a well known name for music lovers across the UK.

These photos show the Mill Road shop in 1982, along with a classic Andy’s Records carrier bag.

Yesterday marked the 51st Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common.

As we celebrate another year of this much loved event, it's wonderful to look back at Strawberry Fairs gone by. These stills are taken from a film by the late Alan Winfield-Chislett in 1977 and were shared on YouTube by my good friend Mick Brown, who also sadly passed away a few years ago.

The film captures the unique spirit and sense of community that have made Strawberry Fair such a special part of Cambridge life for generations.

You can watch the full film here:
https://youtu.be/q0VoMJvF9gI?si=kSJO85aS0M_FJ9H9

This lovely photo shows a moment in time on Trinity Street, taken in the 1930s.

These wonderful photos capture how
Trumpington Street looked back in the 1910s.
One image even shows the original Addenbrooke’s Hospital, whose former site is now home to the Judge Business School and Brown’s Restaurant.

Thank you to everyone who attended today’s crimes talk at Zion Baptist Church It was wonderful to see so many of you there, and I’m delighted you enjoyed the talk.

A special thank you as well to Rev Jason for the warm welcome and hospitality.

This wonderful photo shows Christ’s Lane in the 1910s, long before Bradwell’s Court was built in the early 1960s, closing off the passage until its demolition in 2006.