THE COLEHERNE ARMS IN EARLS COURT, WHICH BECAME THE UK’S FIRST LEATHER BAR.
Lady Malcolm’s Servants’ Ball, for instance, was a notorious party on London’s queer scene in the 1920s and 1930s – a mecca for working class queers for whom high society was far out of reach. According to historian Matt Houlbrook in his book Queer London, from pubs by the docks to bars in the city centre, at a certain time in the evening, if you knew where to head, you’d have witnessed a queer clientele quietly gathering. In less privileged corners of society, clubs and bars still existed, but in a more subtle, transient way. The infamous Caravan Club opened up in the 1930s, as did the Gateways Club on Kings Road – the first recognised lesbian bar in the capital, which kept its doors open until 1985. To be gay was seemingly acceptable in this circle of the chattering class, if you could afford the door fee. Same-sex intimacy was tolerated as cabaret, dancing and drinking continued until dawn. The Cave of the Golden Calf may have only served customers for two short years, but in that time it developed a notorious reputation among the capital’s wealthy aristocrats and bohemians. It wasn’t until 1912 that Britain saw its first “gay bar”, as we know it today, open its doors.
Reports from the time show that entrapment was common, and that gay men were murdered for engaging in same-sex relations until the death penalty for buggery was abolished in 1861. Raids continued into the 19th century, although little is known about queer spaces during this time as the culture was pushed even further underground. The raiding of the White Swan on Vere Street in 1810 was another significant example of a queer venue being attacked it was here that the Reverend John Church – often claimed to have been the first openly gay minister in England –– is alleged to have conducted same-sex marriages. When police did eventually bust their way inside, some 40 people were arrested, three of whom – Gabriel Lawrence, William Griffin and Thomas Wright – were hanged for their sexual “crimes”. Sunday nights were busiest – Mother Clap would have upwards of 40 guys in attendance – and, according to some accounts, until the place was raided in 1726 she ran the club for pleasure, not profit.
Mother Clap’s Molly House in Holborn – run by Margaret Clap between 17 – is perhaps the most notorious. According to historian Rictor Norton, these included the “markets” in the Royal Exchange, Moorfields, Lincoln’s Inn, the south side of St James’s Park and the piazzas of Covent Garden. Some were housed in coffee houses and pubs, others in private residences.Īreas associated with high levels of crime and prostitution became homes for the molly house. Most were brothels, but others simply places to fuck in relative peace. Molly houses were spaces for female mimicry mock marriages and births of singing, of community and of sex. Probably deriving their name from the slang for a homosexual male, these were havens for those looking for same-sex interactions in a society where sodomy was still punishable by death. It was only in 18th century London that the first well-documented queer spaces started appearing, with “molly houses” the place to head if you were looking for a gay old time. The first gay cruising grounds and gay brothels are likely to have appeared towards the middle of the 17th century, but evidence is limited. There’s not a huge amount known about queer spaces in London before the 1700s a combination of poor documentation and the need for the upmost levels of secrecy means historians know very little about where exactly those looking for same-sex contact would have flocked. The best way of doing that? A history lesson. So today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, it’s important to take stock of their importance and what more we stand to lose. And that’s because they are: in London alone, a string of iconic and important gay venues have closed over the past few years. Of how queer spaces are disappearing or seriously under threat. There’s been a lot of talk about the demise of the British gay bar. As LGBT spaces continue to close down, we look at where they started.