Syd Barrett’s legendary floorboards are set to find a new home at The Piper in St. Leonards. These historic purple and orange floorboards, famously featured on the cover of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett’s 1970 album “The Madcap Laughs,” will now be part of the pub’s decor, infusing the place with a touch of Barrett’s otherworldly magick.

Rather fittingly the pub is named after Pink Floyd’s debut album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, and Barrett’s final gig with Pink Floyd took place just down the road on Hastings Pier in January 1968.

So how did this all come about?

These boards were originally part of Barrett’s London flat which he painted over 50 years ago for a photo shoot by Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis and photographer Mick Rock, and were sold at auction in July 2024. Despite an estimated value of £10,000 (US $12,662), they fetched an impressive £28,500 (US $36,101), thanks to a consortium of devoted Syd Barrett fans who pooled their resources to secure this piece of rock history.

The new owners are now generously loaning the floorboards to The Piper where the boards will be on display. A spokesperson for The Piper said “A few bits appear to be missing, presumably damaged, but with the boards we do have, one idea is to lay some of them on top of our current stage, so artists will be able to perform on them. We are currently exploring how feasible this is as we still want to ensure they are protected in some way. Failing that, we will keep them together and place them somewhere else within the venue. We won’t be doing anything until we have assessed what is best for them.”

While the boards show signs of wear, with some reportedly sawn in half for easier transport, their new home at The Piper is a fitting tribute. Now, these floorboards will continue to echo with the spirit of Syd Barrett, as bands play and dancers (potentially) move across this special piece of musical history.