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Contents:

• LOST GAY BARS OF EARL’S COURT, LONDON
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EARLS COURT
• THE SE OF THE COPABANA THE 1970S – THE FIRST GAY NIGHTCLUB LONDON
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EARLS COURT
• GAY BARS AND CLUBS LONDON - LONDON FOM

LOST GAY BARS OF EARL’S COURT, LONDON

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? 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.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EARLS COURT

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.

THE SE OF THE COPABANA THE 1970S – THE FIRST GAY NIGHTCLUB LONDON

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. In the mid-1990s the bar shifted s foc once more, beg a regular gay bar orr to attract more ctomers. The Boltons Where: 326 Earl’s Court Road, Earl’s Court When opened: 1970s When closed: early 1990s The Boltons, which origally opened 1892, beme a gay bar the 1970s.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS EARLS COURT

In an effort to clean the space up the brewery that owned the pub changed s foc the 1990s, and has not been gay sce. Image how many bottl of poppers that uld buy you… 1980s Philbeach Hotel Where: Philbeach Garns, Earl’s Court When opened: 1981 When closed: 2008 It wasn’t jt gay bars and clubs Earl’s Court. Beg the centre of gay life London an entire dtry spng up the area, cludg hotels for gay tourists.

The Philbeach Hotel was a gay-owned Bed and Breakfast, offerg a place to crash once all the bars and clubs had closed. Wh 35 rooms across 3 floors was one of the largt gay hotels all of Europe. Brompton’s Where: 294 Earl’s Court Road, Earl’s Court When opened: 1984 When closed: 2008 In the 1980s Lord Ranelagh changed s name to Brompton’s, and an inic gay bar was born.

It was here that Clone Zone, the cha of gay superstor, had s fledglg start, settg up a stall si the bar where they sold imported merchandise to ctomers. It wasn’t long, though, before this bar had s day, and the buildg that hoed so much gay history was knocked down 2014. Other plac of note Freddie Mercury’s Rince Where: Logan Place, W8 If you need any more proof that Earl’s Court was the centre of gay London life the 1980s then you need look no further than the celebry rints of the area.

GAY BARS AND CLUBS LONDON - LONDON FOM

Any memori om the lost gay bars of Earl’s Court that you want to share?