Speakers’ Corner

Neighbourhood in/near Marble Arch, existing until now

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Neighbourhood · * · W1K ·
October
22
2017
Speakers’ Corner is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park.

Speakers’ Corner is found close to the site of Tyburn gallows, where public hangings took place between 1196 and 1783. Legend has it the origins of Speakers’ Corner lie in the tradition of granting last words to those condemned to die.

Speakers here may talk on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful. Contrary to popular belief, there is no immunity from the law, nor are any subjects proscribed, but in practice the police tend to be tolerant and therefore intervene only when they receive a complaint. On some occasions in the past, they have intervened on grounds of profanity. Historically there were a number of other areas designated as Speakers’ Corners in other parks in London (e.g., Lincoln’s Inn Fields Finsbury Park, Clapham Common, Kennington Park, and Victoria Park).

Though Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner is considered the paved area closest to Marble Arch, legally the public speaking area extends beyond the Reform Tree and covers a large area from Marble Arch to Victoria Gate, then along the Serpentine to Hyde Park Corner and the Broad Walk running from Hyde Park Corner to Marble Arch.

Public riots broke out in the park in 1855, in protest over the Sunday Trading Bill, which forbade buying and selling on a Sunday, the only day working people had off. The riots were described by Karl Marx as the beginning of the English revolution.

The Chartist movement used Hyde Park as a point of assembly for workers’ protests, but no permanent speaking location was established. The Reform League organised a massive demonstration in 1866 and then again in 1867, which compelled the government to extend the franchise to include most working-class men.

The riots and agitation for democratic reform encouraged some to force the issue of the "right to speak" in Hyde Park. The Parks Regulation Act 1872 delegated the issue of permitting public meetings to the park authorities (rather than central government). Contrary to popular belief, it does not confer a statutory basis for the right to speak at Speakers’ Corner. Parliamentary debates on the Act illustrate that a general principle of being able to meet and speak was not the intention, but that some areas would be permitted to be used for that purpose.

Since that time, it has become a traditional site for public speeches and debate, as well as a major site of protest and assembly in Britain. There are some who contend that the tradition has a connection with the Tyburn gallows, where the condemned man was allowed to speak before being hanged.

Although many of its regular speakers are non-mainstream, Speakers’ Corner was frequented by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell, C. L. R. James, Walter Rodney, Ben Tillett, Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah and William Morris. Its existence is frequently upheld as a demonstration of free speech, as anyone can turn up unannounced and talk on almost any subject, although always at the risk of being heckled by regulars.


Main source: Wikipedia
Further citations and sources



NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Church of the Annunciation The Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch, is a Church of England parish church designed by Sir Walter Tapper. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Churchill Hotel The Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill is a five star hotel located on Portman Square.
Marble Arch Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble faced triumphal arch.
Marble Arch Marble Arch station was opened on 30 July 1900 by the Central London Railway.
Metropolitan Borough of Westminster The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965.
Odeon Marble Arch The Odeon Marble Arch (known as the Regal 1928-1945) was a cinema located opposite Marble Arch monument at the top of Park Lane, with its main entrance on Edgware Road.
Somerset House, Park Lane Somerset House was an 18th-century town house on the east side of Park Lane, where it meets Oxford Street, in the Mayfair area of London. It was also known as 40 Park Lane, although a renumbering means that the site is now called 140 Park Lane.
Speakers’ Corner Speakers’ Corner is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park.
St George’s Fields St George’s Fields are a former burial ground of St George’s, Hanover Square, lying between Connaught Street and Bayswater Road.
Tyburn Tyburn was a village of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch and the southern end of Edgware Road.
Western Marble Arch Synagogue The Western Marble Arch Synagogue is a Jewish place of worship in central London.

NEARBY STREETS
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Albion Street, W2 Albion Street was laid out over the Pightle field in the late 1820s (Paddington)
Aldford House, W1K Aldford House is sited on South Audley Street (Mayfair)
Aldford Street, W1K Aldford Street is named after Aldford, a property on the Grosvenor family’s Cheshire estates (Mayfair)
Archery Close, W2 Archery Close is a street in Paddington (Paddington)
Audley House, W1K Audley House can be found on North Audley Street (Mayfair)
Avenfield House, W1K Avenfield House is a block on Park Lane (Mayfair)
Balderton Flats, W1K Balderton Flats is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Balderton Street, W1K Balderton Street was named after local landowners the Grosvenors, who also owned land in Balderton, Cheshire (Mayfair)
Balfour Mews, W1K Balfour Mews is the southern extention of Balfour Place (Mayfair)
Balfour Place, W1K Balfour Place honours Eustace Balfour, surveyor for the Grosvenor estate from 1890 to 1910 (Mayfair)
Berkeley Mews, W1H Berkeley Mews is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Bilton Towers, W1H Bilton Towers is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marble Arch)
Brook House, W1K Brook House is a block on Park Lane (Mayfair)
Brown Hart Gardens, W1K Brown Hart Gardens is a road in the W1K postcode area (Mayfair)
Brunswick Mews, W1H Brunswick Mews is a road in the W1H postcode area (Marylebone)
Bryanston Street, W1C Bryanston Street is a road in the W1C postcode area (Marble Arch)
Bryanston Street, W2 Bryanston Street is a road in the W2 postcode area (Marble Arch)
Clenston Mews, W1H Clenston Mews is a road in the W1H postcode area (Marylebone)
Connaught Place, W2 Connaught Place is a street near to Marble Arch (Marble Arch)
Connaught Square, W2 Connaught Square was the first square of city houses to be built in the Bayswater area. (Paddington)
Connaught Street, W2 Connaught Street along with Kendal Street was a shopping area of the Victorian and Edwardian period (Paddington)
Culross Street, W1K Culross Street is a road in the W1K postcode area (Mayfair)
Cumberland Court, W1H Cumberland Court is a block on Great Cumberland Place (Marble Arch)
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Dudley House, W1K Dudley House is a block on Park Lane (Mayfair)
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Dunraven Street, W1K Dunraven Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Marble Arch)
Eaton House, W1K Eaton House is a block on Upper Grosvenor Street (Mayfair)
Edwards Mews, W1U Edwards Mews is a road in the W1U postcode area (Marylebone)
Evelyn Court, W1H Evelyn Court is a block on Edgware Road (Edgware Road)
Fountain House, W1K Fountain House is a block on Aldford Street (Mayfair)
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George Street, W2 George Street is a road in the W2 postcode area (Edgware Road)
Granville Place, W1C Granville Place is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Great Cumberland Place, W1H Great Cumberland Place was built as an axis with Bryanston Square to connect the later to Marble Arch (Marylebone)
Green Street, E7 Green Street is a location in London (Marble Arch)
Green Street, W1K Green Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Grosvenor Square, W1K Grosvenor Square is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
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Hampden House, W1K Hampden House is a building on Green Street (Mayfair)
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Hyde Park Place, W2 Hyde Park Place is part of the Bayswater Road (Marble Arch)
Jones Street, W1K Jones Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Kendal Street, W2 Kendal Street is a street in Paddington (Paddington)
Keysign House, W1C Keysign House is a block on Oxford Street (Mayfair)
Lees Court, W1K Lees Court is a block on Lees Place (Mayfair)
Lees Place, W1K Lees Place is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Lumley Street, W1K Lumley Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Marble Arch, W1H Marble Arch is a major road junction in the West End, surrounding the monument of the same name (Marble Arch)
Meridien House, W1H Meridien House can be found on Edgware Road (Edgware Road)
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Nations House, W1U Nations House is a block on Wigmore Street (Marylebone)
New Quebec Street, W1H New Quebec Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
North Audley House, W1K North Audley House is a building on North Audley Street (Mayfair)
North Audley Street, W1K North Audley Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
North Carriage Drive, W2 North Carriage Drive is a road in the W2 postcode area (Bayswater)
North Row, W1K North Row is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Marble Arch)
Old Quebec Street, W1 Old Quebec Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marble Arch)
Orchard Court, W1H Orchard Court can be found on Portman Square (Marylebone)
Orchard Street, W1H Orchard Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Orchard Street, W1U Orchard Street is a road in the W1K postcode area (Marylebone)
Oxford Square, W2 Oxford Square is a road in the W2 postcode area (Paddington)
Oxford Street, W1K Oxford Street is Europe’s busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as of 2012 had approximately 300 shops. (Mayfair)
Park House, W1K Park House is a block on Park Street (Marble Arch)
Park Lane, W1C A very small section of Park Lane next to Marble Arch, lies within the W1 postcode (Marble Arch)
Park Lane, W1K Park Lane has several historically significant properties and is one of the most desirable streets in London (Mayfair)
Park Steps, W2 Park Steps is a street in Paddington (Edgware Road)
Park Street, W1K Park Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Park West Place, W2 Park West Place is a street in Paddington (Edgware Road)
Park West, W2 Park West is a street in Paddington (Paddington)
Parliament House, W1C Parliament House is a block on North Row (Marble Arch)
Picton Place, W1C Picton Place connects Duke Street with James Street (Marylebone)
Policeman’s Walk, W2 Policeman’s Walk is a road in the W2 postcode area (Mayfair)
Porchester Place, W2 Porchester Place is a street in Paddington (Paddington)
Portman Mews South, W1H Portman Mews South is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Portman Square, W1H Portman Square part of the Portman Estate, located at the western end of Wigmore Street (Marylebone)
Portman Street, W1C Portman Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Portman Street, W1K Portman Street is a road in the W1C postcode area (Marble Arch)
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Portsea Place, W2 Portsea Place is a street in Paddington (Edgware Road)
Providence Court, W1K Providence Court is north of Grosvenor Square (Mayfair)
Quebec Court, W1H Quebec Court is a block on Seymour Street (Marble Arch)
Quebec Mews, W1H Quebec Mews is a road in the W1H postcode area (Marylebone)
Red Place, W1K Red Place is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Marble Arch)
Reeves Mews, W1K Reeves Mews is a road in the W1K postcode area (Mayfair)
Rex Place, W1K Rex Place is a road in the W1K postcode area (Mayfair)
Seymour Street, W1H Seymour Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marble Arch)
Shepherds Place, W1K Shepherds Place is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
South Audley Street, W1K South Audley Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
South Street, W1K South Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
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Stanhope Place, W2 Stanhope Place is a street in Paddington (Marble Arch)
Stourcliffe Street, W1H Stourcliffe Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Edgware Road)
Upper Berkeley Street, W1H Upper Berkeley Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Upper Brook Street, W1K Upper Brook Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Upper Grosvenor Street, W1K Upper Grosvenor Street is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
Westchester House, W2 Westchester House is a building on Seymour Street (Edgware Road)
Wigmore Street, W1H Wigmore Street is one of the streets of London in the W1H postal area (Marylebone)
Woods Mews, W1K Woods Mews is one of the streets of London in the W1K postal area (Mayfair)
York House, W1H York House is located on Bryanston Street (Marble Arch)


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