Speaker's Corner Hyde Park

On Sunday I took a stroll down to Hyde Park and Speaker's Corner on a busy London

day that saw the return of our annual London Marathon where huge crowds turned

out to support the runners.

Of course Speaker's Corner was a bit of a no go area during the days of our lockdowns.

But I was pleased to see that things have quietened down and are back to normal.

But it's clear to see the changes at Speaker's Corner compared to the days I first visited

there when I first moved to London. There were some real characters. Speakers that

would command huge crowds, unlike today. And they would happily joust with all the

hecklers.

I remember how American tourists would regularly be shocked and outraged by

all the antics that took place there, while at the same time enjoying every minute of

what could only be described as pure theatre. And when you arrived there and saw all the

groups of clowns and hecklers, you knew that you were in for a good time. And it was a time

when all subjects and talking points were covered. But today Speaker's Corner seems to be

about one thing only, and that is the clash of East and Western religious ideologies.

Unfortunately a huge downpour of rain brought my filming there to an end so I moved

on down for another visit to The Serpentine for more picture taking.