DOCKYARD DORIS aka Colin Devereaux Colin Devereaux was a performer best known for his popular drag persona, Dockyard Doris. Performing in Islington was in his blood, as he was a direct descendent of Marie Lloyd, a very popular music hall singer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He studied at the Italia Conti Stage School as a teenager. The character of Dockyard Doris was a music-hall inspired pantomime dame known for her outrageous sense of humour. She was incredibly popular all over London in the 1980s and 1990s, and appeared often in pantomimes and shows all over the city. She was also well known for her impression of the Queen Mother, which she performed at Central Station during the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration in 2000. In the Islington’s Pride Archive at the Islington Local History Centre, is correspondence from the Queen Mother, politely declining an invitation to visit Central Station during her birthday celebration. Devereaux was known as a fairly quiet person off-stage, but his loud and fun on-stage personality made him incredibly popular and he had a wildly successful 30 year career with appearances on TV shows and in movies along with his regular cabaret and stage performances. Devereaux passed away aged 50 after a long battle with cancer. Info sourced

Benjy's Nightclub in Mile End, London, was a well-known Gay nightclub that played a significant role in London's gay bar scene, particularly for its downstairs bar. Benjy's Nightclub's building, located on the corner of Burdett Road, was a prominent feature in Mile End due to its neon facade and its position next to a betting shop. Benjy's was located at 562A Mile End Road, on the corner of Burdett Road in Mile End, a historically significant part of London. Benjy's Club, Mile End, London Benjy's Nightclub in Mile End, London, was a well-known Gay nightclub that played a significant role in London's gay bar scene, particularly for its downstairs bar, The Backstreet. The Backstreet, a men-only leather bar, was established by John Edwards who took over the smaller Benjy's 2, becoming London's longest-running and strictest men-only leather bar. Benjy's Nightclub's building, located on the corner of Burdett Road, was a prominent feature in Mile End due to its neon facade and its position next to a betting shop. Key aspects of Benjy's Nightclub: Location: Benjy's was located at 562A Mile End Road, on the corner of Burdett Road in Mile End, a historically significant part of London. Closure and Building: Benjy's experienced a licensing revocation after a murder and narrowly avoided demolition to make way for a new tower block.

Page Title This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Click Here Section Title Every website has a story, and your visitors want to hear yours. This space is a great opportunity to give a full background on who you are, what your team does and what your site has to offer. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want site visitors to know. If you’re a business, talk about how you started and share your professional journey. Explain your core values, your commitment to customers and how you stand out from the crowd. Add a photo, gallery or video for even more engagement.

London photographer Jay Eff, with his unique view of the world was one of the most outstanding members of our community JAY EFF Photography by If you lived in London back in the 90s ,you would more than likely be familiar with the work of the legendary Photographer Jay Eff. His Flyers (for Clubs like Heaven/Garage/The Fruit Machine) were the stand-out flyers of the London scene. Many people over the years have told me they actually looked forward to going home after the clubs closed, just so they could get next the week's flyers. Every week his fresh new ideas would be admired throughout the club scene in London. Thanks to Jay Eff himself, Lost Gay London has been able to create this collection of Art for all to enjoy. 1/2

Lost Gay London is intended for general informational purposes only. The content is publicly sourced from a combination of internet searches and submissions received from users, both on www.lostgaylondon.com and our Facebook page. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented, we do not guarantee its completeness or correctness. Lost Gay London is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information provided. D isclaimer The information provided on Lost Gay London is intended for general informational purposes only. The content is publicly sourced from a combination of internet searches and submissions received from users, both on www.lostgaylondon.com and our Facebook page. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented, we do not guarantee its completeness or correctness. Lost Gay London is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information provided, nor does it endorse or verify the content submitted by users. Users are advised to verify any information independently before relying on it for personal or professional purposes. By using this website, you agree to hold Lost Gay London harmless from any claims, damages, or losses arising from your use of the site or reliance on its content. We reserve the right to update or modify this disclaimer at any time without prior notice. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this disclaimer, please contact us via our contact page.

Practically untouched since its April 1985 opening (with dusty boots dangling from the ceiling to prove it), John Edwards's bar The Backstreet (referred to as simply 'Backstreet') abides by its strict fetish dress code, and the pay-off for its loyal leather and rubber clientele is an unfussy, dark and atmospheric cruising space — the closest thing London has to an old-style European leather bar. THE BACKSTREET London's oldest leather bar The Backstreet was a gay leather bar on the Mile End Road in London's East End. It was London's longest running, and last remaining leather bar, having opened in April 1985. In 2019, it was saved from redevelopment by Tower Hamlets Council, which stated that the redevelopment would "harm the long-term provision of a nightclub that serves the LGBT+ community". The reprieve was short lived however, and the bar closed permanently on 17 July 2022. In 2024, a documentary film about the leather bar. The Backstreet premiered at the Sheffield Docfest directed by Romain Beck

RUBYVENEZUELA aka Brian Pierce Born in Plymouth, Ruby became a hit on the drag circuit, performing at Madame Jo Jo’s and Club Fantastic. “I may not be young, but as soon as the music starts I can’t help but jump around" “There’s not many of us left. Now drag artists are basically transvestites who mime and can’t sing. But people will always love over-the-top glamour, and it fits in nicely with the burlesque revival.” Soho singer Lanah P recalled meeting a “huge ball of sequins” in the 1980s and told how Ruby raised funds for Aids hospices or homelessness, performing at the The Soho festival or Phoenix Theatre. Lanah added: “I’ve always been interested and partial towards the avant-garde or post-modernistic elements of the performer and one of my fave periods of Ruby was when she’d come on stage dressed as a bed. It even had cigarette burns on it – but tidier than Tracey Emin’s – and sing this mad song called I’d Rather Have You, but she’d changed the words to “I’d rather have crumbs in my bed”. Hilarious! “I always found her great theatrical value and quite a kind-hearted, generous soul, so now rest in peace, dear.”The editor of Pride Life, Nigel Robinson, told Gay Star News: “I hesitate calling her a drag queen/artiste because she was more than that, more like a bonkers tornado coming in from Kansas, the lovechild of Mrs Shufflewick, Ethel Merman, Mervyn Peake, and Beryl Cook, but above all else her very own character, bringing delight to everyone, young and old.” “Ruby was a terrific performer who loved Soho and cared deeply about this community. She was a true Soho icon and in her passing it feels like another feather boa has been stripped from our streets.” - Rev Simon Buckley Theatre producer and manager Clive Chenery, in an online post, described Ruby as “Soho royalty”, adding:“Ruby sang at my 40th at Steph’s Restaurant. He was truly a one-off and is irreplaceable. He was immortalised by Beryl Cooke who was his next- door neighbour in Plymouth during his childhood. I was fortunate to know, and work with, Ruby on many occasions.”He recalled driving Ruby driving back to Soho to perform in a show at Madame Jo Jo’s from a production of Cinderella in Guildford Civic Hall in 1988.“They got a free tank of petrol one night on the A3 when Ruby got out to pay cash… in full drag.” A portrait of Ruby by Damien Frost

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Vintage news articles for UK papers about the LGBT community Lost in time, but not to us! News and media articles Unearthing the Lost Voices of London’s Gay PastWelcome to our archive of historic newspaper clippings from London's vibrant — and often overlooked — gay scene. These fragments of the past offer a raw, authentic glimpse into queer life across decades: the joy, the defiance, the danger, the celebration. From headlines that fought for visibility to nightlife ads that hinted at secret worlds, each article is a time capsule of resilience and community.This collection preserves the cultural memory of queer London — venues now vanished, moments that sparked movements, and stories that shaped our shared history. Dive in and rediscover a city beneath the surface.

PHIL STARR aka Arthur James Fuller Phil Starr, born Arthur James Fuller, was a gay cabaret comedian, singer, mainstay and regular feature of the London and English south coast gay scene during a career spanning from the 1950s, until his sudden and unexpected death. Famous within his genre and locale, Starr's act was typically old-school comic, lengthy shaggy dog stories , often culminating in a hilarious, unexpected twist. (March 31, 1932 - October 18, 2005)