29.09 / 17:30
section 28
FEATURE: Never lost for the right words
Walking through leafy, now strangely quiet Bloomsbury in London, you pass artisan cafes, gastropubs and if you’re in the know you’ll find two landmarks – in Marchmont Street.The first is a blue plaque to mark the home of troubled and closeted gay comedian Kenneth Williams. And a few doors away across the street is an iconic bookshop and meeting place that for 40 years has been central to LGBTQ+ politics and culture in the UK.Leading the shop team is Jim MacSweeney, who’s been here since 1989, 10 years after the shop’s original controversial opening.