It was only in 18th century London that the first well-documented queer spaces started appearing, with 'molly houses' the place to head if you were looking for a gay old time. The first gay cruising grounds and gay brothels are likely to have appeared towards the middle of the 17th century, but evidence is limited.
There's not a huge amount known about queer spaces in London before the 1700s a combination of poor documentation and the need for the upmost levels of secrecy means historians know very little about where exactly those looking for same-sex contact would have flocked. The best way of doing that? A history lesson.
