Sombrero Trade
1965
“The Sombrero was a coffee bar on Horsefair, roughly on the corner where Holloway Circus is now. In those days one side of the pavement onto Bristol Road was too high, so there was a double step to reach the roadway. At ten o’clock when the bars shut, gay people would migrate there (to the Sombrero Café). Others would come who were not on the scene, some straights and some younger guys for pick ups, although I never did as I always thought they were untrustworthy. There was always someone hanging around outside looking for trade, the guys were around sixteen or seventeen.”
Contributed by: John McGarry, 70