Under Hilda's protective wing, Jacky and Jane are introduced to the naughty delights of London's famous Gateways Club.

In this extract, Jacky describes how she and her partner Jane ventured out into the wonderful world of the 'lesbian'. Recalling their attendance at the first National Women's Liberation Conference at Ruskin College, Oxford, in 1970, Jacky's 'butch' appearance wasn't entirely welcomed by many of the other delegates. She then remembers how she and Jane went in search of things lesbian.

They subscribed to the UK's first lesbian magazine, Arena 3, noting how often false names were used in the small ads. After responding to one of these adverts they met Hilda, who lived in Oxfordshire. Jacky and Jane often visited her for the weekend, and Hilda, in turn, introduced them to the 'Gateways Club' in London. Introduced to Gina, the club's proprietrix, and Smithy the barmaid, Jacky says that many friendships were formed since it was a great place to meet other lesbians and it was also somewhere for them to go - much like straight people having their own bars and clubs.

Jacky also noticed the prevalence of butch/femme couples, much like herself and Jane, who were regular customers at the club, despite such role-playing being frowned upon by other lesbians at the time. Jacky recalls that there were many older women at the Gateways Club, and many were heavily gender-stereotyped, with some looking like they'd just come out of the Army.

Fridays and Saturdays were the busiest nights at the club and it was generally quieter in the week. Tom Jones' 'Delilah' was played quite a lot and occasionally, there would be policemen waiting outside the club warning girls not to enter, as there were some 'very strange types within'.

Born into a working-class family in 1945, Jacky was a bright girl who would eventually study at St Anne's College, Oxford. Here she met her lifelong partner, Jane.

Jacky remained in academia while Jane became a teacher and lived in both London and Oxfordshire until both retired. Together, they've written lesbian fiction under the pen name of Jay Taverner.

London's famous Gateways Club, which first opened to a bohemian clientele in the early 1930s, was located at 239 Kings Road. From the late 50s, Gina Ware, who was married to the original owner, ran the club. Always a popular 'night-spot' with gay people, the club became a women-only venue in 1967. Lesbians came from all over the country, and the world, to the Gateways Club and for many women their first visit to the 'Gates' was their first experience of the lesbian life.

The club and many of its regular clientele and staff also appeared in the 1968 feature film 'The Killing of Sister George' which starred Beryl Reid, Susannah York and Coral Browne.

During the late 70s and 80s, the 'Gates' still attracted butch and femme couples, which hard-line feminists of the period loathed. Members of the Gay Liberation Front picketed the club and Gina, who wanted lesbian politics kept out of her club, asked the police to intervene. After many decades catering to the lesbian community the Gateways Club finally closed its doors to both public and members alike on Monday the 23rd of September 1985.