The French House
49 Dean Street · queer Bohemia’s corner
The French House – officially the York Minster until 1984 – has stood at this corner since 1910. It became famous when Charles de Gaulle reportedly drafted his “Appeal of 18 June” rallying the Free French from its back room. Less famous but just as real: for decades its bar and upstairs dining room were haunts of London’s queer Bohemia. Francis Bacon drank here with Lucian Freud and Daniel Farson; Dylan Thomas left the manuscript of Under Milk Wood under his chair; Brendan Behan recited from the bar stool.
The pub still serves only European measures – no pints – still throws the best Bastille Day party in London, and Bacon’s portrait still hangs on the ground floor. Come on a weekday evening and you understand why Soho was, for a generation of outsiders, the most tolerant square mile in Britain.