Capturing Cambridge
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Gwydir Street's "controversial" bollards feature in a 1982 news article. Image courtesy Cambridgeshire Collection.

Sam & Pat – Gwydir Street

Sam & Pat in conversation with Beelin

Pat and Sam moved to Cambridge in the 1960’s and witnessed the gentrification of the neighbourhood. They talk about the planning blight and why the Elizabeth Way bridge was built as a dual carriageway.

Elizabeth Way bridge opening, 13th May 1971 (MoC201/71)

Pat helped care for neighbours’ gardens and Sam has been documenting the area through his art over the years.

They befriended a neighbour at number 155 who shared his experiences from before and after the first world war and how society had changed. Sam wishes he had recorded these conversations.

They feel that what has most changed over the years is the people and that there used to be more of a culture of dropping in to see each other.

Whilst connection between residents is different now, the sense of community is still strong.  Their neighbour Beelin encouraged residents to exchange ingredients and helped set up the community group Gwydir Street Friends.

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This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dear Visitor,

Thank you for exploring historical Cambridgeshire! We hope you enjoy your visit and, if you do,  would consider making a donation today.

Capturing Cambridge makes accessible thousands of photos and memories of Cambridge and its surrounding villages and towns. It is run by the Museum of Cambridge which, though 90 years old, is one of the most poorly publicly funded local history museums in the UK. It receives no core funding from local or central government nor from the University of Cambridge.

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Museum of Cambridge