The pub that changed me: ‘We would flirt and mingle with the wild children of the wealthy’

Maurice Mcleod (left) with his friend Paul in London in the mid-1980s. Composite: Guardian Design; courtesy of Maurice Mcleod

The Dome, west London

In the mid-1980s, as a Black kid from a Battersea council estate, pubs were not part of my life. To my mind, they were where white blokes got lagered-up before rolling out on to the streets to abuse people who looked like me. None of my mates were big drinkers; we were much more interested in music (rare groove and hip-hop) and trying to meet girls. Rooms full of aggressive-looking men held no attraction for any of us.