The Radnor Hotel: Bristol's gay safe haven of the 20th century

Contents:

• THE BEST BRISTOL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BRISTOL
• THE BEST BRISTOL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BRISTOL
• BRISTOL GAY MEN'S SOCIAL
• THE RADNOR HOTEL: BRISTOL’S GAY SAFE HAVEN OF THE 20TH CENTURY
• THE BEST BRISTOL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BRISTOL
• THE RADNOR HOTEL: BRISTOL’S GAY SAFE HAVEN OF THE 20TH CENTURY
• IS OLD MARKET’S STAT AS BRISTOL’S ‘GAY VILLAGE’ A THG OF THE PAST?

THE BEST BRISTOL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BRISTOL

Gay Clubs and Pubs. What we’re aboutWe are a group maly for cis-genred gay and bisexual men lookg to make iends and expand our social liv and terts the Bristol area.

THE BEST BRISTOL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BRISTOL

The Radnor is the only gay pub Bristol we know of before the 1960s. It was certaly gay by the early 1940s and people have told was gay the 1930s.

The Broadhurst fay had n sce 1925 so may have been gay for that long.

BRISTOL GAY MEN'S SOCIAL

In about 1975 was taken over by David Brokenbrow who cid that gay ctomers were not wele, although July 1976 Gay News reported that some women still drank there.

THE RADNOR HOTEL: BRISTOL’S GAY SAFE HAVEN OF THE 20TH CENTURY

By night and at weekends gays and theatrils om the Old Vic Kg Street or om the Hippodrome, cludg the actors Anton Walbrook, Eric Portman and the drag artiste Danny La Rue.. They really make an effort to do somethg a b different a time when gay pubs are bee so generalised that ’s hard for them to stand out and many close which is a great whilst I’m all for clivy, this bar also attracts a lot of straight femal who e here for a good night out.

I had to leave, forced out of a bar that surely is set up to attract gay men and their iends who are bears or like bears? I thk is amazg that straight women enjoy a good gay bar and I’m not someone who thks this is a man only space at all but I do wish they would do their b and regnise that the men there are not there for their personal entertament and try and act appropriately.

THE BEST BRISTOL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BRISTOL

At a time when homosexualy was still outlawed, a dimly l, smoky pub on St Nicholas Street was a haven for LGBTQ+ people Bristol and the surroundg areas. But, after dark, the Radnor Hotel was equented by gay people and those performg at the Bristol Old Vic and Hippodrome.

THE RADNOR HOTEL: BRISTOL’S GAY SAFE HAVEN OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Durg World War Two, the pub was often vised by gay men the RAF and soldiers om the USA statned Clifton.

It is possible that the soldiers first troduced the Amerin term “gay” to the parlance of the Radnor Hotel, replacg the more mon “queer” which was e the 1940s. By the time homosexualy was partly crimalised 1967, the pub was already known as a safe space for gay people Bristol and beyond.

“I n remember thkg how odd that was as the eveng vibe was always so laid back, never stck me until then that anyone uld have anythg agast the gay muny. “It was jt such a strange suatn wh this nuclear 1960s fay om Frenchay/Downend, my dad was formerly an acuntant wh the TGWU and my mum a hoewife, takg over the more downbeat of the two gay pubs St Nicholas Street, ” says Jon.

IS OLD MARKET’S STAT AS BRISTOL’S ‘GAY VILLAGE’ A THG OF THE PAST?

Image source, Andy Trigg/BBCImage ptn, The mural took the graffi artist eight hours to pleteA mural of Jt Fashanu, the first profsnal football player to e out as gay, has been pated on the si of a pub Norwich.

Fashanu grew up Norfolk and signed for Norwich the late source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Former Norwich Cy striker Jt Fashanu me out as gay 1990 while still playg profsnal football"He means a lot to a lot of people, pecially Norfolk, " said Christian Hodgkson, landlord of the Fat Cat and Canary on Thorpe Road, close to the cy centre stadium. "Beg the first player to e out as gay, and obvly beg black as well, he faced a lot of adversy.