Comptons of SOHO
Encyclopedia
Comptons of Soho is a gay
pub in London
. Situated at 51-53 Old Compton Street
in the heart of Soho's
'Gay village', Comptons has been an integral part of London's gay scene since June 1986.
By the 1950s the Swiss Hotel had been renamed to "The Swiss Tavern" and was known as "not entirely straight". By 1986 the Swiss Tavern had been renovated and renamed to "Comptons Of Soho" as a gay bar
. In November 2006 it celebrated it's twentieth anniversary, at which time, QX Magazine referred to it as "The Grand Dame of Queer Street"
Comptons is a large, Victorian styled pub with two bars. The ground floor bar is a horse-shoe bar and it attracts a varied gay male crowd, including many tourists. At the first floor, there is a beautiful lounge where, customers can sit and enjoy a drink, while having chat with a friend, reading the news paper, or Sundays, having a meal from a selected choice of gourmet food.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
pub in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Situated at 51-53 Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street runs east-west through Soho, London, England.- History :The street was named after Henry Compton. who raised funds for a local parish church, eventually dedicated as St Anne's Church in 1686...
in the heart of Soho's
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
'Gay village', Comptons has been an integral part of London's gay scene since June 1986.
History
The building was designed by architects W. A. Williams and Hopton and was built as The Swiss Hotel in 1890. Williams and Hopton exhibited their design for the Swiss Hotel in 1890 at the Royal Academy. An illustration of the original building was published in "The Builder" of 25 October 1890By the 1950s the Swiss Hotel had been renamed to "The Swiss Tavern" and was known as "not entirely straight". By 1986 the Swiss Tavern had been renovated and renamed to "Comptons Of Soho" as a gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
. In November 2006 it celebrated it's twentieth anniversary, at which time, QX Magazine referred to it as "The Grand Dame of Queer Street"
Comptons is a large, Victorian styled pub with two bars. The ground floor bar is a horse-shoe bar and it attracts a varied gay male crowd, including many tourists. At the first floor, there is a beautiful lounge where, customers can sit and enjoy a drink, while having chat with a friend, reading the news paper, or Sundays, having a meal from a selected choice of gourmet food.