The Black Cap, a historic gay pub in Camden, closed in April this year – although there is still a strong campaign to save it. Thanks for all the good nights.’Ī number of gay bars have closed in London recently. So many good memories.’Īnd another customer said: ‘You were my local for 10 years. One woman said: ‘This makes me so sad, I met my wife at the G&D a hot summer night in 2008. Many customers have paid tribute to the pub, with many crediting the venue with being among the first ‘anti-social clubs’ of Shoreditch. ‘The jungle drums are beating and from what we hear they’ve got it bang on.’ We move to a new venue as soon as possible, hopefully within the week. ‘They inherit good times, good memories and a whole lotta love. ‘We are due to surrender our lease on Tuesday 1 December and a new owner will sign a new lease at the same time.
On Facebook, pub owner Richard Battye said: ‘It’s almost 13 years since we opened our doors and from pretty much that night we have been blown away with the amazing response and all the amazing things which have their origins inside Number 2 Hackney Road, a former Victorian boozer, squatted and turned into a shoe shop which we reboozerified back in 2002. Opened in December 2002, the East London pub has played host to a mixed scene with a big LGBTI following.ĭespite seven years remaining on the lease, a recent increase in rent has forced the owners to put the pub up for sale. It will be updated as more information comes in.The London gay scene is suffering another loss as much-loved Shoreditch venue The George & Dragon is officially closing down. “Our community is strong and will never back down in the face of adversity.”Įater Seattle reached out to the Lumber Yard owners and the King County Sheriff’s Office for further comment but did not hear back before this article was published. “We will continue to stand with all of the businesses and individuals that were impacted by this horrible act,” the organization said. In a statement, White Center Pride said it was “deeply disturbed and saddened” to learn about the potential arson. Meanwhile, the family-owned La Tipica Oaxaqueña also has a fire damage recovery fund set up on GoFundMe, as does Dottie’s Double Wide (recently purchased by former bartender Sole Salazar) and a boba and bingsoo shop called Nuggi that had been under construction when the fire struck. White Center Pride set up a GoFundMe campaign page for the Lumber Yard - the neighborhood’s first gay bar, which opened in early 2018 - and reached its $100,000 goal for recovery efforts within days. “There is evidence to suggest that they are all connected,” Farrar said.Įven before the arson case developed, the White Center community started rallying to help several businesses pick up the pieces.
Co-owner Michale Farrar pointed to a break-in a month ago as reason for suspicion and told the White Center Blog that there were “anti-gay tags” on the windows of the bar in the week leading up to the fire.
Shortly after the reclassification, the Lumber Yard Bar posted a July 9 message on its Facebook page that said “this most likely is also a hate crime” and asked those with any knowledge of the incident to assist authorities in the investigation. Authorities say the blaze appears to have started at the Lumber Yard before spreading - and while the sheriff’s office initially classified the fire as an accident, new evidence has led the department to open an arson investigation. on July 5, a two-alarm fire burned through several commercial buildings near the corner of 16th Ave SW and Roxbury, including the Lumber Yard, divey Dottie’s Double Wide, a still-in-the-works boba tea shop, and Mexican specialty grocer La Tipica Oaxaqueña. Now, the owners of the Lumber Yard - a popular LGBTQIA+ venue - believe it may be a hate crime.Īt around 1:40 a.m. It is named after the 17th century developer, Thomas Neale. It runs between Short's Gardens and Monmouth Street, and midway it opens into a small but picturesque and brightly-coloured courtyard that is an Instagrammer’s dream. Days after a devastating fire destroyed the Lumber Yard Bar and damaged seven other businesses in White Center, the King County Sheriff’s Office began investigating it as an arson case. Neal's Yard is a small alleyway in London's Covent Garden neighbourhood.