Bankside and Blackfriars

Other areas in London

Compare these parts of the city before choosing a base or planning an outing. They may be spread out, so check each area’s travel details.

• Soho around Old Compton Street →

  Soho is still the walkable heart of this census: Comptons on Old Compton Street, the Duke of Wellington, Village, and Freedom on Wardour Street, the Yard on Rupert Street, and Ku Bar plus Klub on Lisle Street at the Chinatown edge. Sweatbox, the male-only sauna, sits a short walk north on Ramillies Street. Not every pub on Old Compton Street is listed — a room is public here only when its own site states a queer identity. Treat Soho as one evening. Charing Cross, Vauxhall, and Dalston are separate outings.

• Charing Cross and Villiers Street →

  A short walk south of Soho, this cluster is Heaven under the arches on Villiers Street, the Retro Bar in George Court, and Halfway to Heaven on Duncannon Street. Heaven’s own site lists mixed live-music gigs alongside the G-A-Y brand, so do not assume every night is a gay club night. Plan it as its own outing from Old Compton Street.

• Vauxhall →

  Vauxhall’s public queer rooms in this census are the Royal Vauxhall Tavern at 372 Kennington Lane and Eagle London at 349 Kennington Lane. The Tavern has programmed LGBTQ+ cabaret since the 1980s. Eagle is an independent late-night gay bar with Horse Meat Disco on Sundays. Fire and Lightbox sit nearby but their own about pages describe general house and techno clubs, so they are not listed as gay clubs.

• Dalston around Kingsland →

  East London’s established queer cluster in this census is Dalston, not a single street you can add to a Soho crawl. Dalston Superstore is at 117 Kingsland High Street. The Divine, at 33 Stoke Newington Road, is the room opened by the team behind The Glory. VFD, the queer arts and performance space at 64-66 Stoke Newington Road, is event-led. The Divine’s own about page describes this pocket, with VFD and Superstore, as the local queer triangle. The Glory’s own site says that Haggerston room has closed.

• Homerton and Well Street →

  La Camionera is a lesbian bar in Hackney, postcode E9 6RG, on Well Street. It is not a walk from Dalston. The official site says walk-ins only. This census has one public room here, so treat Well Street as its own stop.

• Bloomsbury around Marchmont Street →

  Gay's The Word, at 66 Marchmont Street, calls itself the UK's oldest LGBT+ bookshop and dates its opening to January 1979. This is a daytime shop stop, not a bar crawl. It sits between Russell Square and King's Cross, walkable to Queer Britain if you want a museum afternoon.