Dear Editor
An open letter to Admiral Taverns and the Barley Mow
I recently heard that the Barley Mow has unexpectedly closed, as it awaits a new landlord.
This prompted me to think yet again about the decline of the pub over the past few years, and what a wonderful inclusive space it could be again, in the right hands.
The pub was built in 1709 and named The Green Dragon, receiving its more familiar name later in 1837. After being demolished and rebuilt in 1931, it began to serve as a destination for LGBTQ+ patrons, peaking in the 1970s.
The pub had a remarkable period where half of the space was used by the local prison officers, and the other half was separated by a partition and catered to gay and lesbian customers. There were also times when the windows of this parlour had to be covered for these patrons’ secrecy to be maintained.
Several years ago, I met someone who told me he regularly travelled from Cambridge to visit the Barley Mow as he felt safer there than anywhere back home.
However, the past two landlords of the pub have all but driven away the LGBTQ+ communities who used to rely on it.
Recent times brought a new group of predominantly young straight men to the venue, looking to buy cheap drinks after the other pubs have closed.
Nothing wrong with that; apart from the fact that there is an entire High Street’s worth of venues for that already, and the Mow was the only safe place for queer people to go. Under the last landlord, the gay pride flag was also removed from the front of the building.
I myself am part of the LGBTQ+ community, and sadly gave up trying to go to the Barley Mow many years ago, due to not feeling welcomed or safe.
A nonbinary friend explained to me how they and their girlfriend felt unsafe at the Mow on a date a few months ago, harassed by a male patron and stared at by the doorman.
Last month I met with a man who had visited with his trans male partner and had left vowing never to return, due to not feeling comfortable or safe.
As queer venues across the country forcibly close and stand empty (The Black Cap in Camden) or are sold as residential property (XXL in Southbank) we need to hold on to our one LGBTQ+ venue.
We need to treasure it, respect its history and fight for it to return to being an inclusive, friendly and safe space. The Barley Mow should be for all communities yes, but especially the LGBTQ+ people of Bedford who have nowhere else to go.
Victoria Kahl,
Co-Founder of Extravaganza Bedford
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