Gateways club, Former lesbian nightclub in Chelsea, London, United Kingdom.
Gateways Club was a members-only venue in Chelsea, London, tucked behind a green door at 239 King's Road, on the corner of Bramerton Street. A steep staircase led down into a narrow underground room that served as a gathering place for lesbian women for several decades.
Ted Ware took over the lease in 1943 after winning it in a poker game and turned the space into a place welcoming to lesbian women. The club ran for over four decades before closing in 1985 after losing its late-night license.
For decades, the Gateways Club was one of the very few places in London where lesbian women could meet openly and feel at ease. Works by local Chelsea artists hung on the walls, giving the underground room a personal and welcoming feel.
The building on King's Road no longer operates as a club, so there is nothing to enter or visit inside. Walking past the corner of King's Road and Bramerton Street is the main way to see where the venue once stood.
The club appeared in the 1968 British film The Killing of Sister George, which featured one of the earliest depictions of lesbian life in mainstream cinema. Many of the real regulars were used as extras during the filming, making the scenes unusually authentic.
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