Interior of Sadie’s Bar Royal, as remembered by Pat Taylor today. Left photograph courtesy of John Harrison, Right photograph courtesy Pat Taylor.
“When I think about all the people we lost to AID’s, I imagine them in Sadie’s Bar, up in the sky, dancing away.”
 - John Harrison
“In 1984, I was asked by Sadie to work one night a week in his club, the Bar Royal in Wood Street... as a single mum to four, I jumped at this extra income... the clientele were 'gobsmacked' to see a female behind the bar, as generally women were not allowed into the club. I was totally embraced by the gay community, and over the next 8 years, I made so many beautiful friends and learned so much about the social history of being gay in the 1950s/60s, and what crap the old time queens went through”
- Pat Taylor
I had the pleasure to speak with Pat Taylor who worked at ‘Sadie’s’ for over 10 years. Her vivid descriptions of the venue helped us to rebuild a model of this once-lost space. From Sadie’s window beside the entrance, where he would police who could enter, to the smokey disco room, this model allows us to reconnect with our LGBTQ+ history, transcending time to understand the significance this place holds for a generation of LGBTQ+ people.

We appreciate that this model may not be accurate to everyone's recollection, but it exists here as a personal memory of this space - another way that Sadie’s Bar Royal lives on today. 
Remember it differently? Share your story with us! 

Sculpture of the front bar at Sadie's Bar Royal

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