| The Joiners Arms | |
| Map Type: | United Kingdom London Tower Hamlets#London |
| Map Dot Label: | The Joiners Arms |
| Address: | 116-118 Hackney Road |
| Location City: | London, |
| Location Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 51.5296°N -0.0747°W |
| Opened Date: | 1997 |
| Closing Date: | 2015 |
| Destruction Date: | --> |
| Unit Count: | --> |
The Joiners Arms was an LGBT pub and nightclub on Hackney Road in East London.[1]
The original pub, which closed in 2015, had been central to the East London gay scene since it was opened in 1997 by David Alexander Pollard.[2] It had been described as "Britain's trendiest gay dive"[3] with gay public figures including Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Patrick Wolf known to have frequented the venue, and with events hosted by gay entertainers Scottee and Jodie Harsh.[4] The venue had been open to a range of gay subcultures such as the bear scene and drag queens. Due to its late night opening and free entry, the Joiners Arms had a reputation for being a "last chance saloon" and sometimes having a rough crowd,[5] but this has also been described as part of its appeal.
Plans were announced in 2014 to demolish the venue and replace it with a block of flats,[6] but supporters of the venue successfully campaigned to have it recognised as an Asset of Community Value.[7] Tower Hamlets Council only allowed the construction to proceed if the development included a pub that would "remain a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-focused venue for a minimum of 12 years". This was believed to be the first time that the sexual orientation of a venue's customers had been included as a condition of planning approval.[8]