- The Caravan Club was a haven for the LGBTQ+ community in the 1930s, styled as ‘London’s greatest bohemian rendezvous.’
- New office space is set on the site of the former Caravan Club, which retains period warehouse features.
The Caravan Club, a piece of history in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, has been put forward for a Rainbow Plaque and given a new lease of life. Robert Irving Burns (RIB), one of the UK’s largest independent real estate companies, has applied for the plaque to be installed at 81A Endell Street. It will commemorate the contribution to LGBTQ+ culture of The Caravan Club, located in the basement of what is now a newly renovated office space, which has retained many of the original industrial features.
The Caravan Club was a gay and lesbian friendly club on Endell Street that became notorious for being raided by police just six weeks after opening in July 1934, with over 100 arrests made. The resulting court case saw the club’s owners accused of “exhibiting to the view of any person willing to pay for admission lewd and scandalous performances.”
At the time of the raid and court case homosexuality was still a crime in England and wouldn’t be decriminalised until the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 1967. The club’s owner, Jack Neave, known as ‘Iron Foot Jack’, an escapologist, strongman and phrenologist was sentenced to 20 months hard labour.
The National Trust and the National Archives collaborated in 2017 on the Queer City project to recreate the club, through a display of photographs, police records and letters at the nearby Freud Café Bar.
The site of the former Caravan Club has since been newly renovated, with the ‘Sail Loft’ flexible workspace being listed for rent by Robert Irving Burns. The recently refurbished Category A+ space, accessed by a gated, cobbled pedestrian walkway, is set back from Endell Street across a courtyard. The industrial features of the five-storey building hark back to the site’s former use as the Covent Garden Bakery, with exposed brick walls and varnished wooden floors.
Antony Antoniou, CEO of RIB says: “81A Endell Street has a rich and colourful history and a permanent memorial to the Caravan Club is a fitting way to celebrate its unique contribution to LGBTQ+ culture in London. As a major global city, London is constantly evolving and whilst this is a positive thing, it’s also important to commemorate what has come before and celebrate their role in shaping our culture and society.”