Islington Health and History Walk:Spa Fields

In the autumn of 1816 London simmered with discontent as the hardships of the Napoleonic War seemed not to be coming to an end, even after a year of peace. One group of people maintained that the only way forward lay with political reform - votes for all, but how to achieve their aim? While crowds gathered on Islington's Spa Fields for peaceful protest, some among them sought violent revolution.

On this short walk starting at Spa Fields Park Islington Guide Rob will look at the events leading up to the protests, the people involved and the events of what became twenty four hours of riotous disorder across London. Rob will ask the question - were the riots a footnote in history, or part of the road to parliamentary democracy in Britain?