Features / In Memoriam
“Mother hen” of Bristol’s gay community passes away
Peggy Hancock, a longtime friend and ally of Bristol’s gay community, sadly passed away on December 28th 2021 at the age of 98.
Peggy was born in Hotwells in 1923, and at age fifteen a chance visit to the Radnor Hotel- Bristol’s earliest known gay pub- set her on the path towards a lifetime of friendship with Bristol’s gay community.
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In the mid-50’s, Peggy began working as a barmaid at the Radnor. She quickly became a well-loved and familiar face to those who frequented the pub, earning her the nickname of “Auntie Peg”.
The Radnor Hotel, Bristol’s earliest known gay pub.
Copyright: Anna Henderson.
With equal enthusiasm, she partied with and protected her new-found friend circle, informing Bristol’s gay community about the dangers of cottaging without disapproval or judgement.
She would often sketch out maps of the best locations for these kind of encounters, and warn people of the places most likely to be raided by the police.
Peggy’s positive impact on the local queer communtiy was much further reaching than her time working at the Radnor; other pubs she worked at throughout her life became known for their tolerance and openness thanks to her influence.
The protection and kindness she showed the community did not go unrewarded, and Peggy made lifelong friends from Bristol’s gay community.
In an interview with OutStories Bristol in 2011, she remarked “Gays have made my life, they’ve cocooned me… when I’ve had tragedies they protected me.”
Peggy Hancock in 2011. Credit: OutStories Bristol
For many years Peggy would travel to Palm Springs every year with gay friends in a pilgrimage of sorts. Her enthusiasm and sense of fun never waned throughout her long life; when speaking to OutStories at the age of 88, she remarked that she might be too old to go on another Palm Springs holiday before pausing and adding a perky “Well… I might just go next year!”.
Peggy’s stories of Bristol’s gay scene during the 50’s and 60’s formed a valuable part of the research for M Shed and OutStories Bristol’s Revealing Stories exhibition in 2013.
Peggy was one of three iconic figures drawn by Malcom Ashman for part of this exhibition, and her portrait is now part of Bristol Museum’s permanent collection.
A portrait of Peggy Hancock by Malcom Ashman, which is now a permanent part of Bristol Museum’s collection. Image via Bristol Museums.
Well into her nineties Peggy would attend the weekly GayWest coffee shop, where she was notorious for her outrageous stories of her long and colourful life.
Peggy passed away on December 28th, 2021, and is survived by her daughter Micha.
With thanks to OutStories Bristol for their archive of research on The Radnor.
Main image copyright: Matthew Seow.
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