IT IS the LGBTQ pub that is back on the stage to entertain customers after months of closures.

And it has been four months spent preparing for the post-lockdown opening for owners Raymond and David Riley-Cole of The London Hotel on Oxford Street, Southampton.

The couple, who have been married for almost 17 years, bought the pub in 2003 after moving to the city from Windsor in 2000.

Raymond, 67, and David, 56, previously both worked in pubs and bars on a part-time basis, but could not resist when The London Hotel went up for sale.

They've made the pub a true work of art, with drag queens on stage to welcome guests on Friday and Saturday nights.

But since the lockdown, they have had to make some changes.

Now, they are only open for dining one day a week, which involves Sunday roast dinners.

Before, many of their guests would be able to stand and socialise, and bask in the true art decor and comfort of the drag queens gracing the indoor stage.

Now they have had to reduce their customers down to 25 percent.

But that hasn't stopped The London Hotel from having a true party on the weekends.

Raymond said: "It is so restrictive with seating now as The London is a traditional layout with a lot of standing and socialising.

"We have got local drag queens Dolly Rocker on Fridays and Lucinda Lashes on Saturdays. They are walking around, meeting and greeting while people sit, getting drinks ordered, welcoming them to The London, and giving guidance of what is expected."

They have spent the lockdown refurbishing the glamorous pub, with a "brighter, brasher, and more cabaret" on the stage-side of the performance venue.

Before the opening, David said: "We can only fit in 40 people if seated now, whereas we're used to 200. We're not just a pub but an entertainment space."

The London Hotel plans to open up the kitchen for more than one day per week in September, as well as the introduction of another cabaret night while following social distancing.