UK's oldest gay pub becomes a listed building after destroying it labelled 'unthinkable'

08-Sep-2015 - Last updated on 10-Sep-2015 at 07:57 GMT

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is now a listed building

The UK’s oldest gay pub has become a listed building just months after the country’s leading architects said destroying it would be ‘unthinkable.’

Dating back to 1860, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern is the first building in the country to be listed because of its significance to the LGBT community. Heritage minister Tracey Crouch listed the building as Grade II on the advice of Historic England.

Campaign group RVT Future said it was delighted by the news but called for developers Immovate, who bought the pub last year, to meet campaigners to discuss the pub’s future.

Chair Amy Lame said: “The listing is a fantastic milestone for our community and a victory against the odds for our beloved pub. The Royal Vauxhall Tavern now joins New York’s Stonewall Inn, which as home to the gay liberation movement, as being recognised for its contribution to social history.”

@RVTfuture Great news that you are now a listed building! Huge congratulations to the tireless campaigners! G xx
— graham norton (@grahnort) September 9, 2015

Historic England’s head of designation Emily Gee added: “Built on the site of the Vauxhall pleasure gardens, it carries on the tradition of alternative and bohemian entertainment which is bound up in this part of London’s history and identity.”

Paul O’Grady developed his drag act Lily Savage at the pub and Princess Diana is heavily rumoured to have visited the pub in drag. Support for the pub’s listing came from a long list of famous faces, including members of parliament, Boris Johnson and presenter Graham Norton.