The development of political processions and protest marches in London, 1780-1939
Processions and marches were an integral part of popular politics and civic life in Britain. This paper demonstrates the changing political and social geographies of the capital, by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map and analyse the routes of over 100 processions in London from 1780 to 1939.
The usual route of marches in London – from Embankment, by the Houses of Parliament, by Trafalgar Square and the Mall to Hyde Park -- did not become a regular route until the 1860s, and remained a source of contention. Political movements engaged in negotiations over the right to march with the Home Secretary and Metropolitan Police Commissioner, which raised key issues over constitutional liberties in an expanding franchise. Key flashpoints of conflict between protesters, police and the government in 1848, 1887-1890 and the 1930s definitively shaped how marches are planned and policed to the present day.
Katrina Navickas
is Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire. Her new book, Contested Commons: a History of Protest and Public Space in England, will be published by Reaktion Books in September 2025. This paper is based on a forthcoming article in Historical Research.
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This page was last updated on 3 April 2025
