There is perhaps some strange irony that a homophobic article published in the Sunday Times in 1901 has led a historian to believe that he has found Western Australia's oldest gay bar.

It was the billiards room in the Newcastle Club Hotel, now known as the Newport Hotel in Fremantle.

The hotel as it appeared last century. Credit:City of Fremantle

History Now heritage consultant and former conservation officer with the State Heritage Office Eddie Marcus said court convictions and outraged news articles such as this were "unfortunately" the only way of documenting LGBTI+ community's far-back history in WA.

"If you pick through the court cases you can just about find enough to flesh out what it was like to be gay over 100 years ago," he said.