Description:
Secrets, located at 5 Steine Street, opened in 1986 by Peter and David after they sold their gay guesthouse Tradewinds at 16 Egremont Place. Like all clubs at the time, licencing laws meant you had to be a member or signed in by a member to enter.
Notable staff members also include Vince who worked as the resident DJ, controlling the lower-level dancefloor, and his boyfriend, Robert, who ran the cloakroom at the top of the stairs. Ryan shared his memories of Robert and Vince:
"Robert met Vince above the club (below which I believe was a sauna), which was one of the old drinking clubs open on a Sunday. Robert was part of the meeting regarding Section 28. Vince and Robert would be at the club on Friday and Saturday nights. Robert worked the cloakroom, where funds raised went to an AIDS charity; he would also pick up empty glasses and mingle with people. Vince would be downstairs DJing, keeping the mood going. Robert did not get paid - he ran an estate agency in Redhill from a young age. People, as they did back then, would squeeze his bum, but he would just turn around and smile. On a regular basis, drag queens would come into Secrets and sit at the bar for a quiet drink late at night, including Paul O'Grady and some other well-known drag artists. It was like a family atmosphere."
The advertisements featured here are taken from Brighton Cares programmes.
You can hear more about Secrets within the Revealing St James Street audio tour.
Secrets Advert 1994
Secrets Advert 1991
Secrets Advert 2000
