Title: The Caravan
Client: The National Archives
Description: ‘The Caravan' documents the reconstruction of ‘The Caravan ’ in March 2017, an initiative developed by National Trust in partnership with The National Archives. Coined ‘London’s most bohemian rendezvous’, a queer-friendly members club of 1934, the recreation took place at Freud Café-Bar – in almost the exact spot of The Caravan’s original location. The 1930s was a time when being openly gay would frequently lead to prosecution and imprisonment; and the recreation of ‘The Caravan’ sought to tell the important story of many similar clandestine LGBTQ+ spaces that were raided and closed by police. Photographs, court reports, police papers and witness statements selected from The National Archives’ extensive collection on The Caravan and other clubs of the era were used to re-create the striking bohemian interior of the underground club. The film captures not only the reconstruction, but also a flavour of a cabaret programme that took place in the reconstructed space.
Shown at: Sutton House, Hackney, London, UK
Full credits at the end of the video
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