Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
▲
Hyde Park and Speakers' Corner
London's “Central Park,” originally Henry VIII's hunting grounds, has more than 600
acres of lush greenery, “Boris Bikes” rental stations, the huge man-made Serpentine Lake
(with rental boats and a lakeside swimming pool), the royal Kensington Palace (described
next), and the ornate Neo-Gothic Albert Memorial across from the Royal Albert Hall (for
more about the park, see
www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park
)
. The western half of the
park is known as Kensington Gardens. The park is huge—study a Tube map to choose the
stop nearest to your destination.
On Sundays, from just after noon until early evening,
Speakers' Corner
offers soap-
box oratory at its best (northeast corner of the park, Tube: Marble Arch). Characters climb
their stepladders, wave their flags, pound emphatically on their sandwich boards, and
share what they are convinced is their wisdom. Regulars have resident hecklers who know
their lines and are always ready with a verbal jab or barb. “The grass roots of democracy”
is actually a holdover from when the gallows stood here and the criminal was allowed to
say just about anything he wanted to before he swung. I dare you to raise your voice and
gather a crowd—it's easy to do.
