Deptford
The Dover Castle
I remember visiting pubs and clubs in the borough when I first moved to Lewisham in the 1980’s, but came to others before then when I was living with my parents.
Myself and my partner (now husband) Ron use to drive or get the bus into Deptford on a Saturday night to visit The Dover Castle. This was situated on Deptford Broadway, a smallish pub with a long bar down one side, a dance floor and the disco and female DJ set up at one end.
We use to sit, chat and have a few drinks and I would inevitably get up and dance (I love dancing then and now). There was almost always a fight that would break out at sometime in the evening, over someone ‘s girlfriend or boyfriend flirting or dancing with somebody else.
The floor would empty like water evaporating in hot sun and the bouncers would then jump in and sort it out, calm things down or bundle them out of the front doors onto the broadway pavement and then we could get back to dancing.
Outdance, The Albany
Ron and I and a group of gay and straight friends would visit ‘Outdance’ at the Albany, a monthly space for Lesbians, Gays, Queer people and their friends to meet and dance. Sometimes with an act or cabaret in the evening.
You could get a drink and go up stairs to the balcony seating and watch everyone enjoying themselves below. I remember that Bananarama, Kylie Minogue and Madonna were very popular with the crowd at the time and everyone jumped onto the raised stages to show off their versions of the groups dance moves.
It was the first time I remember seeing Voguing in a club. Afterwards sometimes waiting for the night bus with some Chinese or chips from the takeaway. The Albany also had other events on in the space and I remember going to see a one man show there called ‘Quick Doris, grab a dyke’.
Lewisham
The Castle, Lewisham High Street
This was one of the first pubs we went to. It had a front bar which you walked through to a pool room and then past that a dance floor. Pub decorations with tables and chairs and some upholstered benches, a bit spartan looking, but friendly.
You always felt a bit intimidated though, putting you coins down on the pool table as this was the territory of a group of regular butch dyke regulars who played there all the time.
The Roebuck, Fullers Pub
This was a pub situated on the road that used to run down the side of the old Odeon and the Lewisham Centre. A small bar upstairs and a dance floor accessed downstairs. It was open during the day and you could pop in for a pint, Friday and weekends there was dancing. Friendly place used by Lesbian, Gay and straight people.
The Queens Arms, 63 Court Hill Road
A great pub, we spent many a happy hour there with Josie and his staff. Always something going on, Drag, Saturday Afternoon Club, Party Nights. It had a large semicircular bar and a tiny stage at one end. This changed over the years as Josie made improvements.
Many a night we were there after hours at his legendary ‘Lock-ins’. We made many good friends and also lost some in the AIDS crisis. Josie was always organising fundraisers for various HIV/AIDS charities like ‘The Positive Place’ centre in Deptford.
I became one of the ‘Queens Arms Panto Players’ and we performed every Christmas there and later at ‘Stonewalls’ down the road.
Stonewalls (was The Castle, then Two8Six)
The owner of The Queens Arms, Josie (Joe Thompson) closed and moved to the old Castle pub which had been empty for some time and reopened with a business partner (also called Joe) as ‘Stonewalls’.
A popular place which had a later licence and became more of a club than a pub. Opened all day at first then mostly evenings and weekends, again with drag and singing acts. We saw many popular cabaret acts there such as Jason Prince, Katrina and the Boy and Topping and Butch.
Due to a problem with the use of the Stonewalls name they had to change the bar to Two8Six the street number in Lewisham High Street.
Catford
There was a Gay club night at a property on the corner of Stanstead Road and Fermore Road, its now flats, but in the 80’s it was one house and on Saturdays for a short time it was Gay. I don’t think it was licensed, just popped up.
New Cross
Gay Club, 443 New Cross Road
Basement club and dance floor, also upstairs bar and sitting rooms. Spent a few New Year’s there.
(W7)
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