White Horse

The White Horse was a pub in Rupert Street in London's West End frequented by homosexuals in 1951. The licencee Edward S. was concerned that police powers (e.g. EPA) that were being used to discourage gay men meeting in bars would lead to him losing his licence. He informed the police, but they refused to act. He attempted to maintain a strict door policy, but when this failed, the pub was raided.

Trying to get the balance right in the 1930s, 40s and 50s was difficult. In 1953 the doorman was sacked as he struggled to discern who he should lt in or refuse entry. His employer said "he made so many mistakes turning away respectable people... Half our customers... they only had to be wearing a coloured or painted tie or a coloured sweater".

Other clubs and pubs popular with homosexuals at the time were the Sphinx and Music Box, York Minster, Festival, Careless Stork, Boeuf sur Le Toit in Orange Street, the Arts and Battledress (also in Orange Street) the Swiss and the Marquis of Granby in Soho. Peter Wildeblood called them "less [than] discreet", rough and cruisy. Throughout the 1930s respectable men in evening dress and camp queans solicited sailors and workmen in the Running Horse. Other venues included the Billie's Club, the Hungry Horse, Caravan, Gerano's in New Compton Street, Chez Victor in Wardour Street. The downstairs bar at the Ritz Hotel was frequented by men from high society, nicknamed l’Abri (the shelter), the Trocadero Long Bar, the Criterion and Lyon's Corner Houses, Spartan in Tachbrook Street and Bennet's Festival.

References

Queer London – Perils and Pleasures in the Sexual Metropolis, 1918-1957 Matt Houlbrook, The University of Chicago Press, 2005.]