Gay London Life | September '26 Edition - Magazine - Page 18
Meet The Nellie
Elephant & Castle has a new queer kid on the block.
Say hello to The Nellie, a recently opened LGBTQ+ bar bringing good drinks,
easy conversation and a proper sense of community to Elephant Park.
London’s queer scene has never stood still. While Soho, Vauxhall and the East
to this part of SE17. Having an openly queer venue among them gives
End will always have a place in our hearts, some of the capital’s most exciting
LGBTQ+ Londoners another place to meet beyond the capital’s traditional
LGBTQ+ spaces are now popping up beyond the usual postcodes. Down in
gay villages.
SE17, The Nellie is giving us another very good reason to head south of the river.
Located on Ash Avenue in the heart of Elephant Park, The Nellie describes
The Nellie isn’t trying to recreate Soho south of the river. That seems to
be rather the point. It’s a neighbourhood queer bar with its own personality.
itself as “a queer bar for good drinks, curious company and unhurried evenings.”
Relaxed, sociable and welcoming, whether you’re dropping in after work or still
That last bit feels particularly important.
there several hours later, enthusiastically putting the world to rights.
Not every queer night out needs a thumping bassline, a 2am tequila shot and
The opening hours give a good indication of what the team wants the
a mysterious traffic cone in the hallway the following morning. Sometimes you
bar to become. From Monday to Thursday, doors open at 5pm, with Fridays
want to settle in with a decent drink, hear the person sitting opposite you and see
stretching through until midnight. At weekends, The Nellie opens from 11am on
where the evening takes you. That’s the space The Nellie is setting out to create.
both Saturday and Sunday.
A new kind of queer local
That gives it the potential to become as much a daytime meeting place as
There’s something refreshingly grown-up about The Nellie. Rather than trying
an evening haunt. We rather like the idea of a queer local that doesn’t make you
to be the loudest venue in town, it’s positioning itself as somewhere to linger.
wait until darkness falls before popping in.
Cocktails, wine and other drinks accompany the conversation without
The best LGBTQ+ venues aren’t simply places we visit. They’re places
necessarily being the entire reason for the visit. The bar’s own line, “Some
we make our own. The Nellie is only just beginning its story, but its promise
nights are worth lingering over,” rather beautifully sums up the mood. Frankly,
of good drinks, curious company and unhurried evenings sounds like a
London could do with more queer spaces like it.
pretty lovely place to start.
Our LGBTQ+ scene has always been brilliant at giving us places to dance,
So, next time you’re heading south of the river, make a date with The Nellie.
party and celebrate until the small hours. But queer community exists at 7pm
Just don’t make any firm plans for afterwards. This sounds like the sort of place
over a glass of wine too. Spaces where you can meet a friend, go on a date, pop
where “just one” could very easily become another.
in alone or accidentally turn one drink into an entire evening are every bit as
important. The Nellie feels made for exactly that.
The Nellie
A new destination for SE17
18 Ash Avenue, Elephant Park
Its arrival also feels like another vote of confidence in Elephant & Castle.
London SE17 1GQ
Elephant Park has brought new homes, restaurants, bars and public spaces
thenellie.co.uk
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