Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In 1967, ITN’s John Edwards reported from London’s Hyde Park on the decline of the world’s most famous Speakers’ Corner. Once host to Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx and George Orwell, the Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner had been in place since an act of parliament in 1872. However, by the 1960s, the measured decline of the speaker’s corner was becoming evident to speakers and spectators alike, as examined in the above report. A fantastic snapshot of 60s Britain, covering debates on the Vietnam War, the rise of Pan-Africanism and the absolute oddities of a London long gone.
Moreover, this vintage report features some early attempts at censoring bad language - listen out and see if you can hear these during some of the speeches!
And a warning, the following footage contains outdated language and terminology of the time period.
#london #coldwar #archivefootage #60s #speakerscorner #hydeparklondon #hydepark #suffrage #lenin #vladimirlenin #karlmarx
To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below: gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/film?family=editorial&phrase=X11016702*
To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/footage/itn
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In 1967, ITN’s John Edwards reported from London’s Hyde Park on the decline of the world’s most famous Speakers’ Corner. Once host to Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx and George Orwell, the Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner had been in place since an act of parliament in 1872. However, by the 1960s, the measured decline of the speaker’s corner was becoming evident to speakers and spectators alike, as examined in the above report. A fantastic snapshot of 60s Britain, covering debates on the Vietnam War, the rise of Pan-Africanism and the absolute oddities of a London long gone.
Moreover, this vintage report features some early attempts at censoring bad language - listen out and see if you can hear these during some of the speeches!
And a warning, the following footage contains outdated language and terminology of the time period.
#london #coldwar #archivefootage #60s #speakerscorner #hydeparklondon #hydepark #suffrage #lenin #vladimirlenin #karlmarx
To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below: gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/film?family=editorial&phrase=X11016702*
To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/footage/itn
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) - youtube.com/@FrontlinebyITN
🎥 Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/ITNArchive
🎥 Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/ITNArchiveITNP
🎥 Check out our TikTok - tiktok.com/@itnarchive1955
