Bar News

That's really sad, it had a great selection and expert staff.

That Spirited Wines has been closed for a few weeks now, shame as it was the only place in the city centre I could pick up some nice Single Malts.

Probably just the wrong location for something that specialist and it wasn't cheap. The other one I can think of - The Bottle Shop seems to be doing well on Albany Road and in Penarth though.

Be at One is lovely by the way. The refurb is of a high standard and the cocktails are dangerously good!

I'm intrigued by the postings about the earliest gay bars of Cardiff. Does anyone have more information on the subject. In particular about 'sirs' - exact location would be great - and more on The Duke of York back bar. It's a fascinating history and I can't find anything more on line. I'm aware of The Tunnel and The Red Dragon
and went to them. Also, anyone on here a former member of Cardiff GLF in the early 70s?. Please get in touch.

Simon, did you go to the "one night only" revival of the Tunnel Club earlier this month? It was a lot of fun and apparently very authentic except for the drink prices.

As to Sirs, a friend says it was on "St Mary St. I think it was upstairs next door to what is now Le Monde"

Alas, no. Unemployment strikes and I'm my mid 40's I'm finding it hard to get something/anything, so didn't have the funds to go. I was under aged when I first went to the Tunnel and Dragon. Actually I shit myself the first time I went into he Dragon. I didn't know it was a gay bay as was having to confront being 'me' daily In my head and I wasn't quite ready to go to a gay venue. I was with a friend (straight) who had to go after me when I ran out !. I didn't tell the the truth about why I did it either !.

I remember talking to the Historian John Davies who was a regular in the Golden Cross.
He was writing (or thinking about writing) a history of the gay scene in Cardiff, I'm not sure if it ever came to fruition or not before he died.
Sams Bar was gay at one point, or at least the bar that was there before it. (The Junction??)

I have also read that the Kings Cross, now Corner bar had two entrances back in the 50's the side door in Chippy alley was ""gay"" one where dockers/sailors and their appreciators would enter.

Anyone remember the Blue Savanna ? I think it was a short lived venture and gay, around 1992? - a friend's brother had an interview there and she. He was told the venue was LGBT he made his excuses and left, apparently.. Somewhere Mill Lane ??

I don't think John Davies did get around to that, but it sounds like we ought to put together a central Cardiff gay memories walk for LGBT History Month next year. Given the success of the Tunnel event, I'm betting Pride Cymru would support it.

I'm intrigued by the postings about the earliest gay bars of Cardiff. Does anyone have more information on the subject. In particular about 'sirs' - exact location would be great - and more on The Duke of York back bar. It's a fascinating history and I can't find anything more on line. I'm aware of The Tunnel and The Red Dragon
and went to them. Also, anyone on here a former member of Cardiff GLF in the early 70s?. Please get in touch.

The earliest two I can think of were the Showbiz Club and the back bar of the York Hotel - this would have been in the early to mid 1970s. The York is still there rotting away on East Canal Wharf. The Showbiz Club was around the corner on Customhouse Street next to a straight club called "Barbarella's" which some of you may remember. They were roughly where the Unison offices are now.

Sirs was what later became the Le Monde bistro at the bottom end of Saint Mary Street. It was on the first floor and in the early days it was strictly members and guests only. They gave you a key to open the street door when you joined and there was no signage to indicate it even existed. It became more relaxed later on as the climate grew more liberal.

Sirs closed sometime in the early eighties and was replaced by The Tunnel and a club called "Hunters" in the Oxford Arcade. I seem to remember there being a club called Radcliffe's or something similar at the bottom end of Westgate Street at around the same time.

Christ, I'm getting old!