BBC News By Thomas Magill Drag bars have been an integral part of the London gay scene for decades. They were where the careers began for household names including Lily Savage, who entertained crowds every Sunday at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in south London. Series like RuPaul's Drag Race UK have brought the art form to our screens recently too, but the origins of drag go back to the late 16th and early 17th Centuries. Back then, only men were allowed to tread the boards, so if a play had a female character, it would have been up to the male actors to dress as members of the opposite sex.