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You’re probably well aware that there’s plenty to be seen and done within the leafy acres of London’s Hyde Park. You may not know, however, that there’s also a whole lot to be said. Nestled within the greenery of the north-east edge of the park is a spot in which lots of thoughts have been voiced, many opinions have been aired, and a great deal of oratorical muscles have been flexed.
Speakers’ Corner is a London landmark in and of itself, steeped in history and tradition. And even though most of us opt to put the world to rights over a bottle of savvy b in our local pub nowadays, there are still plenty of Londoners (and beyond) who regularly gather in Hyde Park for a healthy dose of free speech and public discourse. No topic is out-of-bounds, and absolutely everybody is welcome. So, if you’ve been bottling something up or want to lend an ear; you know where to go.
The history of Speakers’ Corner
Speakers’ Corner was established back in 1872 when an Act of Parliament designated a specific slice of Hyde Park as a place where people could meet up, speak freely, divulge, debate, and discuss – without having police permission to do so. A little pocket of freedom and democracy, Speakers’ Corner is the oldest free speech platform in the world and saw various marches, protests and demonstrations take place throughout the 1800s and 1900s.
Many historic figures took to their soapboxes to exercise their right to free speech in Speakers’ Corner. Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, William Morris and George Orwell were all known to frequent the spot, with Orwell once describing it as “one of the minor wonders of the world”, documenting that he’d listened to “Indian nationalists, temperance reformers, Communists, Trotskyists, the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB), the Catholic Evidence Society, freethinkers, vegetarians, Mormons, the Salvation Army, the Church Army, and a large variety of plain lunatics” in the little corner of Hyde Park.
Current day Speakers’ Corner
Speakers’ Corner is the last remaining specifically-dedicated free speaking spot in the city, and is a true sparkling gem in London’s treasure chest of weird and wonderful experiences. One of the very few historic traditions that has been (somewhat) preserved, Speakers’ Corner is still – to this very day – a place where people from all walks of life gather to debate, discuss, and speak to their heart’s content – regardless of whether or not anybody is actually listening.
No invitation, application, or qualification is needed; speakers can just turn up, and talk about absolutely anything they like – as long as it is considered lawful by police. The topics of conversation often sway towards politics and religion these days, and there’s always some regulars hanging about to offer up a healthy dose of heckling. Crowds tend to gather on Sundays to put the world to rights – it seems to me like the perfect weekend activity for the passionate, the opinionated, the enthusiastic, or the down-right nosey.
📍 You’ll find Speakers’ Corner on the north-east edge of Hyde Park, opposite Marble Arch.