Former George and Dragon landlord to open a new London gay pub tonight

While last month’s news that much-loved east London gay pub The George and Dragon had become the latest in a string of LGBT venue to close in London brought much sadness, finally there’s some good news for the capital’s gay scene.

The George’s former landlord Richard Battye officially opens new gay pub The Queen Adelaide tonight (December 18) at at 483 Hackney Road.

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The pub will be open from 8pm-1am tonight, and from next week, the it will have 3am license on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (starting Christmas Eve).

“It’s a sequel to the George & Dragon,” Battye told nottelevision.net. “Another old Hackney Road pub brought back.”

Former George and Dragon punters will be pleased to hear that the its staff are on board for the new venue, and even the old pub’s fittings – including paintings, life-sized cut-out figures and an animatronic horse’s head – have been moved to The Queen Adelaide ahead of its opening.

“The history’s important at places like the [Royal Vauxhall Tavern] nd the Black Cap but other places don’t need that energy,” Battye says. “The George & Dragon was a shoe shop 13 years ago – it didn’t need ‘saving’.

“It’s hard to beat the owners who control the properties but keeping the community together is the main thing.”

The George and Dragon’s demise following rent increases was just latest in a slew of closures on London’s gay scene, and cames less than 24 hours after historic Soho eatery The Stockpot closed down for good.

Campaigners recently scored a small victory back in September with the news that The Royal Vauxhall Tavern has been granted Grade II listed status, but many more venues still face a struggle for survival in the face of development plans and rent increases.

Chariots sauna in Shoreditch and Soho’s The Yard Bar are the latest popular LGBT venues to come under threat in the capital, after a devastating 18-month period that’s already seen the closure of Barcode, Manbar, Madame Jojo’s, The Green Carnation, The Black Cap in Camden and more.

In the wake of closures, Stephen Fry has since backed the ‘Save Soho’ campaign to preserve the area’s heritage.

With more and more venues under threat, we recently took an in-depth look at the problems they’re currently facing, asking: is it the end of the capital’s gay scene as we know it?

To keep up to date with The Queen Adelaide checkout the Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.

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