Pubs and Bars / Old Market
Historic Old Market pub to close
With its precipitously sloping floor and drag queens performing among its faded Victorian grandeur, there is nowhere in Bristol quite like the Gin Palace in Old Market.
The well-known story (whether true or not) is that the Victorians planned to build a railway along West Street although the building of the Palace Hotel didn’t herald the arrival of the railway.
The Gin Palace has for many years been at the heart of Old Market’s LGBT+ scene, but its owners have announced that Saturday will be their final night in the venue.
is needed now More than ever
The Gin Palace is rumoured to have been built as a hotel for railway passengers – but the railway never came
Posting on the venue’s Facebook page, the announcement said: “It is with deepest regret and after much deliberation, that I have to announce that The Gin Palace will be closing. Dave and I have decided it’s time to find a new beginning, a new challenge and to be closer to the family we love so much.
“But before I do go I would like to say a Huge Thanks to all of the Drag Queens who have graced the stage at The Gin Palace. A Huge Thanks to everybody who has worked with me serving all of the customers.”
The Gin Palace in its current iteration will close on Saturday, March 17, with its owners thanking all the customers who have frequented the bar during their four years in charge.
Its closure will leave just LGBT+ venues Old Market Tavern and Bristol Bear Bar still trading in an area heralded in recent years as Bristol’s ‘Gay Village’.
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