That is, until it was raided by police and shut down in 1934.Īs part of the National Trust and The National Archives’ project ‘ Queer City: London Club Culture 1918-1967’, The Caravan will temporarily reopen close to its original site, taking over the Freud Café and Bar on Shaftesbury Avenue to mark the 50 th anniversary of 1967 Sexual Offences Act. But one you might not have heard of is The Caravan, a member’s club that offered a refuge for the gay and lesbian community at a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain. Pour one out for the Black Cap, Joiners Arms and Candy Bar, all of which closed down in the last four years. The disappearance of beloved LGBTQ+ clubs in London is a painfully familiar scenario.
