Speakers Corner: a Brief History

Located at the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London, a stone’s throw from Marble Arch and the shoppers of Oxford Street, Speakers’ Corner, has been ‘the’ place for public oratory, debates and free speech since the mid 1800's.

Historic figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell, Marcus Garvey and Lord Soper all came here and joined the common man, and occasionally woman, to give public speeches.

250 years ago, the place now known today as Speakers’ Corner began life, at that time as a place for public execution with criminals hung from the Tyburn Gallows. The Tyburn Tree, as the gallows were often referred to was a novel form of gallows, consisting of a horizontal wooden triangle supported by three legs from which several criminals could be hung at once. Mass executions were frequent, with up to 24 prisoners hung simultaneously.

When Jack Sheppard, a highwayman, was hanged here, it was said that the event attracted an audience of 200,000 people.

From 1196, 50,000 people were hung here before the gallows were finally dismantled in 1783.

Those condemned to die at Tyburn could make one final speech. Some confessed, others protested their innocence or criticised the authorities. For onlookers, the executions at Tyburn became huge social events. You could even buy a ticket to watch executions from a seat on huge wooden platforms.

After the gallows had been dismantled, the tradition for protest and pleasure in Hyde Park continued. Tyburn developed into a political arena for public debate and discussion.

Public riots that broke out in the park in 1855 in protest over the Sunday Trading Bill, were described by Karl Marx as the beginning of the English revolution.

The Chartist movement used Hyde Park as a point of assembly for their mass protests against the suppression of the rights of working people, including the right of assembly.

Reform League demonstrations led to the Parks Regulation Act of 1872, which established the legal status of Speakers’ Corner as a public speaking and meeting place, a milestone in the fight for freedom of expression and assembly, and the origin of its worldwide reputation as the home of free speech.

For 250 years, on a Sunday, crowds have gathered at Speakers’ Corner to listen to enthusiasts expounding their views. Anyone can turn up unannounced, to speak on any subject.

From 1906 to 1914 the suffragettes held many meetings here as part of their campaign for votes for women.

The corner has also been the focus for many rallies, such as when 2 million protested against the Iraq war in 2003.

Speakers Corner has remained a shining symbol of Britain’s liberal democracy, our tradition of respect for freedom of speech and the right of assembly. It has not only shaped ours own democracy but has also inspired and continues to influence the development of others.

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