Speakers' Corner

Situated in the north-east corner of Hyde Park, this London curiosity grew out of revolt. When Edmund Beales led the Reform League to Hyde Park in 1866 to complain about the lack of a vote for working men, the marchers were blocked from entering the park by police and a small but interesting riot developed. The Reform League continued to meet at Marble Arch to test their right to hold public meetings in the park. In 1872, the government relented and granted the right to assembly and free speech in this corner of Hyde Park. Since that time, the Corner has been regarded as a site for speech and debate, as well as assembly and protest. Karl Marx, Lenin, George Orwell and William Morris are among its notable speakers. Sunday mornings are the optimum time to experience, or take part in, a grand tradition of soapbox oratory.