Speaker's Corner


For over 150 years, Speaker's Corner has been one of London's most unique, interesting and eccentric attractions. On any given Sunday morning, anyone who has an opinion to air and anyone who will listen gather at the point where Oxford Street and Hyde Park meet, in the shadows of Marble Arch and carry on this tradition of open conversation.  There’s no parliamentary procedure here and anyone who has a mind to, is free to take part. Tourists are often seen entering into heated discussion with locals and other visitors alike. Speakers require no qualification or invitation. It is as open a forum as one is likely to see anywhere in the world, a forum  where one can really see grassroots democracy at work.

At first glance, some of the speakers may appear to be mentally unhinged.  But don't be fooled. Some of the most revered political and literary minds of the last century have regarded Speaker's Corner as a flow of popular opinion.  Among those who have attended meetings there, are the some of the most influential figures in world history like George Orwell, Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels and Lenin.   Nowadays, people are more likely to visit Speaker’s Corner to hear the rantings of the mad, the bad and the dangerous.  But there's always a good crowd of listeners and hecklers to keep things lively. 

 

     
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