At 35 Victoria St, Liverpool we find The Lisbon, a Grade-II listed building which has incredible old interiors, from ornate richly moulded ceilings and wood panelled snugs to swinging chandeliers. The Lisbon bar is one of the city's oldest watering holes but also regarded since the 1970s as one of Liverpool’s first gay bars. It sits within the Grade II listed Lisbon Buildings completed in 1882. In the 1900s The Lisbon Buildings housed tea merchants, sugar refiners and fruit merchants and by the 1930s Yeoward Bros (the Yeoward Line) operated from the ground floor and ran steamer crossings from Liverpool to Lisbon and then on to the Canaries. The Lisbon Grill was situated in the basement and the offices of the Leigh and District Lending Society were above. The history of The Lisbon as a public venue is long and rich, stretching back to the 1930s when it operated as a 'fully licensed first-class restaurant' serving then-exotic dishes, such as frog legs and Burgundy snails.
The Lisbon also has a long history with the LGBT community in Liverpool. From sailors hanging out in the secrecy of the 1950s, to being a favourite venue for a drink during today’s Liverpool Pride, the pub has always been one of the most well known 'secrets' in the city. Richard Whittigham-Egan wrote about the homosexual communities in Liverpool in his book Liverpool Roundabout, published in 1957, stating that in the 1960s The Lisbon in Stanley Street attracted gay men. It was during the 1960s that it became known as a top watering hole and gay bar, establishing itself as the cornerstone of gay nightlife but it wasn't until the late 1970s that the conversion of the venue into a gay pub took place. Now a very popular gay and lesbian drinking spot, in the heart of the gay Stanley Street Quarter of bars and clubs, its relaxed, sociable atmosphere makes a pleasant change from its more frenetic neighbours. Eileen Lea from Norris Green, the landlady since 1999, has been instrumental in shaping the pub's identity and atmosphere, creating this welcoming and inclusive environment. Over the years Eileen and her staff at the Lisbon have actively supported Pride in Liverpool, the Vogue Ball and the Mersey Marauders gay football team. Her work has not gone unnoticed as she made it to the final of LCR Pride Awards in 'Ally of the Year' category and The Lisbon was also shortlisted to LGBT+ Friendly Venues category.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2026/02/liverpool-pub-crawl-brunswick-vaults.html
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