PIN Royal Vauxhall Tavern

One of the most representative place of Vauxhall

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a Grade II listed gay entertainment venue in Vauxhall, London. It is also known as the RVT. It is South London`s oldest surviving gay venue.

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is recognised as providing a unique and welcoming environment to an eclectic crowd. The RVT team are committed to ensuring your visit is both enjoyable and fun, providing you with unsurpassed levels of hospitality and a diverse variety of entertainment, seven days a week.

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern’s history is well know, which has always aimed to provide a safe, secure and welcoming environment, offering a reasonable priced bar with a diverse programme of entertainment and to be recognised as a preferred destination of choice in London serving the LGBTQ Community.

History

The RVT was built in 1863 at Spring Gardens, Kennington Lane, on land which was originally part of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. It started life as a Victorian music hall. After the Second World War, returning servicemen and local gay men were attracted to the venue, which held shows by female impersonators (drag shows).
By 1975, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern had two bars around a kidney shaped bar which doubled as a stage for the drag artists to dance along in their stilettos from the tiny apron stage at one end.The RVT survived local redevelopment throughout the 1970s and 1980s and maintained its independence as a gay venue.
In 2005, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern was taken over by gay businessmen Paul Oxley and James Lindsay. With a new lighting and sound system the venue opened seven nights a week and maintained its popularity.The RVT was made a grade II listed building on 8 September 2015 – the first building to be listed in recognition of its importance to LGBT community history. The listing was the result of a campaign supported by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and the actors and entertainers Ian McKellen and Paul O'Grady, among many others.

How to get there

Buses To and From Vauxhall Bus Station – 2 minute walk through the tunnel
Bus No: 2, 36, 77, 88, 344, 360, 436
Night Buses: N2, N36, N344, N87
Vauxhall station (Zone1) on the Victoria Line. Exit station from Exit1 and turn right through the tunnel. Vauxhall Tavern is the iconic victorian building as you exit the tunnel.
The train station Zone 1 services central and south London exceptionally well. The train lines run from major stations Waterloo (2 minutes) and Clapham Junction (3 minutes).
Vauxhall mainline station Vauxhall tube station and Vauxhall bus station sit together as a passenger transport destination as is less than a 2 minute walk to Vauxhall Tavern.

Owner

Lucy TripTide

Lucy is a TripTide stalwart and has been with the company since inception. She is a font of knowledge of all things in our metropolis but she has a special penchant for London's historical past. She says:"London is a multi-layered confection of hi...