The Royal Vauxhall Tavern — one of London's best-known LGBT clubs — is appealing to punters, promoters and performers for their memories of the venue from the past decade, in the form of photos, ticket stubs and other memorabilia.
Though this might sound like a bit of a nostalgia trip, the appeal has a very practical reason:
In September 2015, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern received Grade II listed status — a step in the right direction to protect it from the mitts of circling developers. Unfortunately, the listing only protects the fabric of the building and not what the building's actually used for.
Campaigners RVT Future are now working to add another layer of protection to the pub, namely sui generis status. This is Latin for 'of its own kind', meaning the pub would be able to continue doing what it's been doing for over 50 years — namely being an LGBTQ performance venue.
And that's where those photos and ticket stubs come in. To give the Royal Vauxhall Tavern the best chance of winning sui generis status from Lambeth Council, RVT Future want to prove unequivocally that for at least the past 10 years, the venue has been an LGBTQ pub and performance space.
They want one piece of 'evidence' for each month since February 2006 (older proof is helpful too), and that can mean anything from tickets to press articles to photos to videography.
For more information on the appeal, and on where to send your memorabilia to, check out the RVT Future website.
