The Flying Horse on Cheapside off the Market Square (now fronting a small shopping mall) was the main gay bar in the 1960s.

Sometimes known as "The Pansy's Parlour" its reputation was said to be worldwide.

Before the 1970s there had been a few gay bars in Nottingham, usually one bar in a pub or hotel which had several bars.

The Foresters dates back to the 1950s as a lesbian bar and for men there was the George and the Black Boy.

THE FLYING HORSE 

THE FORESTER'S ARMS

The first club in this area was The Pavilion Club half way between Nottingham and Derby in Shardlow. It developed out of a pub night called the "Bona Ome" club which was tried out in several pubs in places like Langley Mill, Sneinton and Shardlow. Eventually some of the people involved decided to buy an old sports pavilion and convert it into a genuine members club - owned by the members and run by the members. It opened in 1971 and was christened the "Handbag Club" by local residents.

The idea of a club owned and run by its members was the model for the Nightingale Club in Birmingham, which continues successfully to this day.

• I have very fond memories of the Pavilion Club. Basically it was large wooden hut with some land attached to it. The price of the booze wasn't rip off prices. It was staffed by the members for free - who did a lot of the structural work, the painting and decorating and up-dating of it with some nice flock wallpaper. Everybody was sort of "family".  

• We had the patio outside. People sponsored a slab or a rose tree. I remember Stella, who was planting this memorial tree and she was that pissed on gin that she fell into the hole herself and the rose tree followed in after her.

   

   

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