Speaker's Corner

In the northeast corner of Hyde Park, near the iconic Marble Arch, stands a place where anyone can climb onto a soapbox and speak their mind freely. This is Speaker's Corner, where over 50,000 executions once took place before it became the world's most famous stage for free speech. Between 1196 and 1783, the Tyburn Gallows stood here. Condemned prisoners were granted one final speech before death, unknowingly planting the seeds for a tradition of public speaking that would transform this execution ground into a symbol of democracy.

In 1866, workers demanding voting rights found the park gates locked. Furious protesters tore down hundreds of yards of iron railings and rioted for three days. The government surrendered. The Parks Regulation Act of 1872 officially designated this corner for public assembly, making free expression a legal right rather than a criminal act. Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell all stood here to share revolutionary ideas.

Between 1906 and 1914, suffragettes held weekly rallies. On June 21, 1908, 250,000 women marched here demanding votes, making it one of the largest demonstrations in history. This corner is the last survivor of over 100 speaking spots that once existed across the city, where voices still rise every Sunday.