5616 x 3744 px | 47,5 x 31,7 cm | 18,7 x 12,5 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
19 luglio 2013
Ubicazione:
372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY London, United Kingdom
Altre informazioni:
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a gay nightclub in London. It is also known as the RVT. It is South London's oldest surviving gay venue.The RVT was built in 1863 at Spring Gardens, Kennington Lane, on land which was originally part of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. It started life as a Victorian music hall. After the war, returning servicemen and local gay men were attracted to the venue, which held shows of female impersonators, the forerunner of drag shows. By 1975, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern had two bars around a kidney shaped bar which doubled as a stage for the drag artists to dance along in their stilettos from the tiny apron stage at one end. Prior to the cabaret starting the bar would be cleared of glasses and drinks and the staff would clean the bar ready for the drag to dance along it in their heels. The public bar attracted local workers and had a dart board whilst the lounge attracted the local gay community. Notable acts from this era include "Carla", famous for her Barbra Streisand impersonation and "The Great Lee Paris" on a Saturday night with Land of Hope and Glory , and There'll always be an England. Freddie Mercury was also a frequent visitor during the seventies. At this time the words "The Palladium of Drag" adorned the exterior of the building . Also during 1976 [Roy Alvis] staged an all male revue both at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and The Union Tavern, Camberwell New Road. The revue spawned a four piece all male cabaret group called 'The Boys Plus' In the space of a couple of months this group was seen in residencies all over the London drag circuit....The Union, The Vauxhall, the Black cap and the Cock (Lewisham). The group only lasted a couple of years but set the trend for shows in the 21st century such as Funny Girls in Blackpool The RVT survived local redevelopment throughout the seventies and eighties and has managed to maintain its independence as a gay venue. Many of London's top drag artists have appeared at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
