West London’s only gay bar has reached a defiant milestone as LGBTQ+ venues decline across the capital.
When Ted’s Place first opened in October 1990, nearby Earl’s Court had been a flourishing gay village in London with bars, restaurants, shops and hotels that catered to the gay community.
Only a stones throw away from the Old Brompton Road scene, the intimate basement bar in Fulham originally opened as lesbian members’ club Fanny’s.
“Most people walk past it ten times and never find it,” Ted Barnham, founder of Ted’s Place, said. “And 35 years later, I’m still here.”
Over three decades and a name change later, Ted’s Place has continually evolved to cater for many corners of the LGBTQ+ community.
Barnham said: “I’ve done boys nights, skinhead nights, leather nights… but everyone knows it’s Ted’s on a Thursday.”
Alongside a range of events for the gay community, the founder of Ted’s Place takes pride in hosting one of the longest-running nights for transgender women in London.
THE PLACE TO BE: Ted’s Place featured in Graham Parker’s go-to guide for London’s LGBTQ+ community. Credit: Gay London (1997)
Having read an article on The Beaumont Society, the longest-established transgender support group, Barnham reached out to understand how best to support a community largely invisible in nightlife at the time.
Barnham said: “If you’re a young kid and you’re not out, you can come here and meet like minded people and get advice.”
Alekssandra Ceciliato, founder of Roma Trans Club, has been going to Ted’s Place ever since moving to west London in 1999.
“A safe space is not about having two or three security on the door,” Ceciliato said. “You feel when the place is safe – and Ted’s has that vibe. As soon as you get in, you feel safe.”
Before the days of online advertising, Barnham counted on word of mouth within London’s trans community and adverts in the Pink Paper and the car sales magazine Exchange & Mart – within four months the bar was ‘absolutely mobbed’.
“If you were at the Philbeach Hotel, you end up at Ted’s, if you were at the Bromptons, you end up at Ted’s, wherever you are, you end at Ted’s” said Ceciliato. “It was like a ritual.”
Today – of the twelve gay pubs and bars operating in west London in 1998 – only Ted’s Place remains.
“You had Bromptons, Catacombs, Coleherne, Boltons, Manhattans, Copacabana – one by one they’ve gone,” Barnham said.
Following wider trends across London, a combination of factors including rising rents and gentrification led to the eventual disappearance of Earls Court’s LGBTQ+ venues.
Despite the challenge of running an independent venue off the beaten track, Barnham says he feels grateful to reach this milestone and celebrate with the Ted’s Place community – including partner of 32 years Barry.
Ceciliato added: “It’s like a chain, you cannot stand by yourself, you need your pieces and the whole community makes it stronger.”
More information about upcoming events can be found on the bar’s website.
Featured image: Ted Barnham, founder of Ted’s Place. Credit: Carmel Hobbs
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