The Grim History Of Hyde Park's Speakers Corner
Speakers' Corner, nestled in the northeast corner of London's Hyde Park, is one of the most iconic sites for free speech in the world. This small section of the park has been the stage for countless orators—professional and amateur—who have voiced their opinions on every conceivable subject. From political activism to social reform, religious debates to personal grievances, Speakers' Corner has seen it all. But its history is as layered and complex as the speeches that have echoed through it for centuries.
The Origins: A Grim Beginning
Speakers' Corner's history can be traced back to its association with the infamous Tyburn Gallows, which stood near this location until the late 18th century. As early as 1108, Tyburn was the site of public executions, where criminals were hanged in front of enormous crowds. Hanging days became a public spectacle, often regarded as a holiday by the masses. These grim events were attended by enthusiastic onlookers who saw the executions as a form of entertainment.
The most notorious of these was the execution of Jack Sheppard, a 22-year-old highwayman, in 1724. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter but began committing theft and burglary in 1723, with little more than a year of his training to complete. He was arrested and imprisoned five times in 1724 but escaped four times from prison, making him notorious, though popular with the poorer classes. Sheppard was as renowned for his attempts to escape from prison as he was for his crimes. An autobiographical "Narrative", thought to have been ghostwritten by Daniel Defoe, was sold at his execution, quickly followed by popular plays. The hanging reportedly attracted a staggering crowd of 200,000 people, demonstrating the public's appetite for such macabre events.
Before their execution, condemned individuals were often allowed to address the crowd, and many used the opportunity to speak out against the state, the church, or plead their innocence. In a strange way, this practice planted the seeds for what would later become a space for public oration and protest.
To accommodate the increasing demand for public hangings, a triangular gallows—known as the "Tyburn Tree"—was erected in 1571. This large structure could hang 24 people at once, making the executions even more of a spectacle. These public events, with their opportunities for final speeches, established Hyde Park as a place where voices could be heard, albeit under dire circumstances.
The Birth of Public Oration
By the mid-19th century, Speakers' Corner began to take on a new form, one more closely resembling the tradition we know today. On October 14, 1855, a carpenter mounted his soapbox to complain about the soaring food prices, making him the first recorded amateur orator at what would become Speakers' Corner. This marked the start of an era where individuals could express their views freely and openly in public.
The right to assemble and speak in public, however, was not always granted so easily. In the early 19th century, Hyde Park became a battleground for political rights. The Chartists, who campaigned for the rights of working people, including the right to vote, frequently held mass protests in the park. Simultaneously, the Reform League, which fought for the right to vote for all adult males, also used Hyde Park as a meeting place. Their efforts culminated in the 1866 Hyde Park riots, which pressured the government to grant formal rights to public assembly and speech.
In 1872, the Parks Regulation Act was passed, which officially recognised the right of people to gather and speak freely in designated areas of Hyde Park, thus giving birth to the modern Speakers' Corner. This legal recognition made the space a bastion of free speech, where anyone could voice their thoughts, no matter how radical or controversial.
The Suffragettes and the Fight for Women's Rights
One of the most significant moments in Speakers' Corner’s history came with the rise of the suffragette movement. From 1906 to 1914, the suffragettes, led by the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), used Hyde Park as a platform to campaign for women's right to vote. Weekly meetings near the Reformers' Tree attracted large crowds, culminating in a massive demonstration on 21 June 1908, when 250,000 women marched to the park to hear speeches from 20 different platforms.
Despite being banned by the police in 1913, the suffragettes continued their defiant gatherings, reinforcing the importance of Speakers' Corner as a symbol of resistance and activism. Their persistence paid off when, after years of struggle, women in Britain gained the right to vote in 1918.
Orwell’s “Minor Wonder”
By the 1930s, Speakers' Corner had become a hub of political debate, attracting all manner of orators, from dedicated reformers to eccentric figures. In his essay on the subject, George Orwell called Speakers' Corner “one of the minor wonders of the world,” marvelling at the diversity of voices to be heard there. He recalled listening to "Indian nationalists, temperance reformers, Communists, Trotskyists, the Socialist Party of Great Britain, the Catholic Evidence Society, freethinkers, vegetarians, Mormons, the Salvation Army, the Church Army, and a large variety of plain lunatics." Orwell’s observations highlight the sheer breadth of topics and ideologies that have found a home at Speakers' Corner.
Lenin was also a fan of spending time there, In Memories of Lenin – written by his wife Nadya Krupskaya – she relates how the Lenin was fascinated by London. “We started going to all kinds of meetings,” she relates. “We stood in the front row and carefully studied the orator’s mouth.
“We went fairly often to Hyde Park, where speakers harangued the passing crowds on diverse themes. An atheist, standing among a group of curious listeners, proved there was no God.”
She adds: “We were particularly keen on listening to one speaker of this kind. He spoke with an Irish accent, which was easier for us to understand. Nearby a Salvation Army officer uttered hysterical shouts in appeal to God Almighty, while a little farther on a shop-assistant was holding forth on the hours of servitude of assistants in the big stores…We learnt a great deal by listening to spoken English.”
Speakers' Corner in Modern Times
Speakers' Corner continued to be a focal point for public discourse throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. One of the largest gatherings occurred in February 2003, when between 750,000 and two million people rallied at Speakers' Corner to protest against the UK’s involvement in the Iraq War. Notable figures such as actress Vanessa Redgrave, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, and playwright Harold Pinter addressed the crowds, marking the event as one of the largest demonstrations in British history.
This wasn’t the first time Speakers' Corner had been used to protest war. In 1859, there were demonstrations about the Franco-Austrian War, and since the 1872 Parks Regulation Act, the space has been used to voice opposition to conflicts ranging from the First World War to the Vietnam War.
The Last of Its Kind
By the mid-20th century, "soapbox" oratory had spread to street corners, marketplaces, and parks across Britain. At its height, there were over 100 speaking spots in London alone, but by the 1930s, Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park remained the last survivor. Today, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of free speech and public assembly.
Though it has seen some rough moments—hecklers, harsh criticisms, and the occasional bout of violence—Speakers' Corner remains a vibrant symbol of the democratic right to speak and be heard. It is a place where anyone, regardless of background or status, can take to their soapbox and share their views, continuing a tradition that began centuries ago, amidst the gallows of Tyburn and the cries of the condemned.
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