The Garden is nestled behind walls and positioned close to the River Thames in Chelsea. The Thames location is no accident as back in 1673 the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries chose their Chelsea village site for its proximity to the river to make the most of its warm air currents. It also gave them a base to moor their barge, allowing them to conduct plant finding expeditions in surrounding areas and to teach their apprentices to identify plants.
Although freedom of speech is a human right in most civilised countries, Speakers’ Corner has been described as one of the few places in the world where anyone can just climb on a ‘soapbox’ and speak their minds on any subject as long as the police considers it lawful – and almost be guaranteed an audience.
It has been like this ever since this area of London’s Hyde Park was the site of Tyburn gallows, where public executions took place between 1196 and 1783, and the condemned were allowed to speak before being hanged.
Over the centuries, Speakers’ Corner has been the site of riots, demonstrations, public meetings of groups – such as the communists – that weren’t allowed to gather anywhere else, and was frequented by Marx, Lenin, George Orwell and many other historic figures.
While today it is mainly the scene of eccentrics, religious fanatics and oddballs of all kinds, several prominent speakers such as Heiko Khoo and Jonathan Fitter keep the tradition of meaningful discussions around political and social themes alive.
Religion has been debated in Hyde Park since the right to meet and speak freely was formally established in 1872. Today it’s the dominant topic by far, with religious speakers and preachers drawing the biggest crowds and clearly outnumbering the political meetings.
I have been documenting the people gathering here every Sunday since 2012.
I vaguely thought about leaving London recently and the British Library came to mind as somewhere I’d miss. It’s an essential resource because it has almost everything. It also has some interesting exhibitions.
Wonderful place for an indulgent afternoon tea. My favourite room is the millennial pink bathed Gallery room where the walls are covered in a sea of original David Shrigley art. The bathrooms feature beautifully designed individual egg-like pods and there's even a waiter whose sole focus is to serve you caviar.