Timeline of London Bars and Clubs
The gay scene in London has always been centred around the West End, especially Soho. In the 1980s some clubs opened up in Earls Court, where the rent was cheaper. In the 1990s, the scene reverted back to Soho, revitalised by new style bars like The Village. Vauxhall became the locus of gay clubs from 2000. Included in the following timeline are bars and clubs in Earl’s Court and Vauxhall, though they are not strictly in the West End.
Contents
1800s
1810 The White Swan, Vere Street
1839 Admiral Duncan
The Hundred Guineas Club Portland Place
1866 Coleherne
1889 19 Cleveland Street (of the Cleveland Street scandal)
1893 St James's
1896 Trocadero Long Bar Shaftesbury Avenue
1900s
1905 Criterion
1910s
1910 York Minster Dean Street (now The French House)
1920s
1925 Hotel de France now the site of Heaven
1927 The Adelphi Rooms
The Marquis of Granby in Soho.
The Hungry Horse
Gerano's New Compton Street
Chez Victor Wardour Street
The downstairs bar at the Ritz Hotel
1930s
Cosmopolitan Wardour Street
1934 The Caravan Endell Street
1935 Billie's Club Little Denmark Street
1935 Festival Dean Street
1935 Careless Stork Denman Street
1937 Music Box Leicester Place
1937 Sphinx Gerrard Street
1939 Boeuf sur Le Toit Orange Street
1940s
Queen's Head Tryon Street
1941 Arts and Battledress Orange Street
1941 Sam's Café Rupert Street
1941 Swiss Hotel Old Compton Street
1941 The Crown and Two Chairmen Dean Street
Cave of the Golden Calf Heddon Street
1950s
1951 White Horse Rupert Street
1952 A&B (previously Arts and Battledress in Orange Street) Rupert Street
Rockingham Archer Street
Spartan Tachbrook Street
Bennett's Festival Brydges Street
1960s
The White Bear
The Carousel Club Orange Street, moved to Panton Street
The Roundabout
The Coffee House Haymarket
Vince Foubert's Place
Danny La Rue's Hanover Square
La Douce D'Arbly Street
Peppermint Lounge Piccadilly Circus
1970s
Kings Head Soho
Golden Lion Dean Street
Green Man Portland Street
Dog and Trumpet Great Marlborough Street
Apollo Wardour Street
Pink Elephant Newport Place
Toucan Gerrard Street
Vortex Tachbrook Street
Louis Poland Street
1975 The Regency Club Great Newport Street
1979 Heaven Under the Arches, Villiers Street
1980s
Mud Club Charing Cross Road
Harpoon Louis, later named Harpo’s and Banana Max
1981 Subway
1984 The French House previously The York Minster
1984 Clubbing in London in 1984 – http://history-is-made-at-night.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/clubbing-in-london-1984.html
1990s
1990 The Village
1992 The Yard
2000s
2010s
External sites
http://qxmagazine.com/pdf/gayhistory-soho.pdf
http://www.kemglen.talktalk.net/stradivarius/
