A free event at Bishopsgate Institute looks at London's most shouty location. For at least 140 years, Speakers' Corner near Marble Arch has served as a platform for campaigners, preachers, ranters, ravers, the seriously opinionated and their hecklers — often, all at the same time.
The afternoon event on 7 December includes presentations and live performances exploring the history of Speakers' Corner, a preview of a new archive and exhibition about the space, and a heckling and sign-making workshop.
The event marks the end of Sounds from the Park, a year-long history project collecting oral history interviews, recordings and photographs from orators, hecklers and regulars. The fruits of that endeavour will be on show at Bishopsgate Institute until 1 March 2014.
Sounds from the Park: A Celebration of Speakers’ Corner History, 7 December, 1-5pm, Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH. Entrance is free, but must be prebooked.
Image: Speakers' Corner in 1979 by George Kindbom in the Londonist Flickr pool (where you'll find many more images of this location).
