It may be hard to image, but there was a time when Soho and Vxhall weren't the centre of gay nightlife London. Way back the 1970s and
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LOST GAY BARS OF EARL’S COURT, LONDON
The Coleherne ed to vie wh the Queen’s Head Chelsea as London’s olst gay pub. Gay men started equentg the venue the 1950s, and by the 1970s was well known as a centre of gay life London. Earl’s Court beme one of the bt-known ‘gay ghetto’, formed partly as a rult of the post-war chang hog, which saw the larger ho around Earl’s Court broken up to flats.
It may be hard to image, but there was a time when Soho and Vxhall weren’t the centre of gay nightlife London. Way back the 1970s and 1980s Earl’s Court was THE place to be, wh a btlg gay scene offerg a number of different f and bars to meet a stranger or dance the night away. Before we get started, do you have any memori om the lost gay bars of Earl’s Court that you want to share?
EARLS COURT - GAY AREA
Lost Gay Bars of Earl’s Court 1960s Lord Ranelagh Where: 294 Old Brompton Road, Earl’s Court When opened: 1964 When closed: 1980s The story behd this one is wonrful. The pub wasn’t a gay bar until, 1964, a band lled The Downtowners, who played there regularly, me up wh a ltle gimmick for their gigs.
1970s The Copabana Where: 180-182 Earl’s Court Road When opened: late 70s When closed: transned to a non-gay bar the late 90s. The Copabana (or jt Copa’s if you’re the know) opened on Earls Court Road the late 1970s, and is remembered as the first public nightclub aimed at a gay clientele. “If you got there early enough, you’d have this sort of like spam supper served to you… two slic of whe bread, a leaf of salad, and some prumably spam, which, actually, we were all starvg, so we ate …” Prcs Julia on Lost Spac Listen & Subscribe for Free: Apple Podsts | Spotify | Google Podsts | Everywhere Else The Coleherne Where: 261 Old Brompton Road, Earl’s Court When opened: 1970s When closed: 2008 Talk to any self-rpectg gay-of-a-certa-age about Earl’s Court back the day, and The Coleherne is bound to be the first bar they mentn.
Though long had a reputatn as a bohemian haven, and attracted a mixed clientele that clud many queer people, wasn’t until the 1970s that the bar officially beme a gay bar. And not jt any gay bar – a leather bar! The most well-known of the, Col Ireland, also referred to as ‘The Gay Slayer’, murred five men he met at The Coleherne.