Editing Runnymede (section)

== Features ==
=== Urban H. Broughton memorials ===
[[File:LodgeRunnymede.jpg|thumb|Lutyens designed memorial lodge and pier]]
[[File:Runnymede.jpg|left|thumb|125px|Lutyens designed pier commemorating Magna Carta]]

After the death of [[Urban H. Broughton|Urban Broughton]] in 1929, Sir [[Edwin Lutyens]] was commissioned to design a set of twin memorials consisting of large kiosks and posts or "piers" with stone blocks crowned with laurel wreaths and formalised urns at the Egham end and with lodges and piers at the Windsor end. Lutyens also designed a low wide arch bridge to carry the main road over the Thames to the north, integrating the road layout and bridge design into his plans for the memorials. The southern kiosks were moved to their present location when the [[M25 motorway]] was constructed.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1189792|desc=Commemorative urns at roundabout on junction of A30 and A308|grade=II|access-date=8 June 2013}}</ref>

There are two octagonal kiosks with piers facing each other across the A308 towards Egham. These piers are a shorter version of those adjacent to the lodges either side of the same road towards Old Windsor in the Long Mede. The lodges show typical Lutyens design features with steeply angled roofs, large false chimneys and no rainwater gutters at the eaves.

The piers carry similar inscriptions. On one face is the inscription:

{{quote|In these Meads on 15th June 1215 King John at the instance of Deputies from the whole community of the Realm granted the Great Charter the earliest of constitutional documents whereunder ancient and cherished customs were confirmed abuses redressed and the administration of justice facilitated new provisions formulated for the preservation of peace and every individual perpetually secured in the free enjoyment of his life and property.}}

and on the other the words:

{{quote|In perpetual memory of Urban Hanlon Broughton 1857–1929 of Park Close Englefield Green in the county of Surrey Sometime Member of Parliament These meadows of historic interest on 18th December 1929 were gladly offered to the Nation by his widow Cara Lady Fairhaven and his sons [[Baron Fairhaven|Huttleston Lord Fairhaven]] and Henry Broughton}}

The memorials were opened in 1932 by [[Edward VIII]] and are Grade II listed buildings.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1189781|desc=2 lodges at north end of Runnymede Meadow|grade=II}}</ref>

=== Langham Pond SSSI ===
[[File:LanghamPondRunnymede.jpg|thumb|Western stretch of Langham Pond]]

[[Langham Pond]] was created when the meandering River Thames formed an [[oxbow lake]]. Its status as a wetland [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) was first notified in 1975 and later reviewed under Section 28 of the [[Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981]] when the protected area was extended to {{convert|64|acre|m2}} within Runnymede as managed by the National Trust.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000918.pdf|title=Langham Pond:Citation|last=Anon|publisher=English nature|access-date=2 October 2009}}</ref>

The pond and associated meadow form a habitat considered unique in Southern England and of international importance for nature conservation. The [[flora]] and [[fauna]] include nationally scarce plants and insects including a species of fly unrecorded elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

=== Air Forces Memorial ===
[[File:AirForcesMemorial.jpg|thumb|Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial]]

The [[Air Forces Memorial]] commemorates the men and women of the Allied Air Forces who died during the [[Second World War]] and records the names of the 20,456 airmen who have no known grave.

From the top of the tower visitors can see long views over [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], the surrounding counties and aircraft taking off and landing at [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]]. On a good day visitors can see as far as the [[Wembley Stadium|Wembley Arch]] and even [[the Gherkin]] in the [[City of London]]. The memorial was designed by [[Edward Maufe]], architect of [[Guildford Cathedral]], with architectural sculptures by [[Vernon Hill (sculptor)|Vernon Hill]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Runnymede Air Forces Memorial |url=https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/runnymede-air-forces-memorial/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=London Remembers |language=en}}</ref>

=== John F. Kennedy Memorial ===
[[File:Runnymede-jfk.jpg|left|thumb|John F. Kennedy Memorial designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe]]

The British memorial for U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] was jointly dedicated on 14 May 1965,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Runnymede Memorial |url=https://www.kennedytrust.org.uk/display.aspx?id=1870&pid=0&tabId=230 |work=[[Kennedy Scholarship|Kennedy Memorial Trust]] |access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede |url=https://www.kennedytrust.org.uk/display.aspx?id=1871&pid=0&tabId=230 |publisher=Kennedy Memorial Trust |access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref> by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] and [[Jacqueline Kennedy]], prior to a reception for the [[Kennedy family]] at [[Windsor Castle]]. The memorial consists of a garden and [[Portland stone]] memorial tablet inscribed with the famous quote from his [[Inauguration of John F. Kennedy#Inaugural address|Inaugural Address]]:<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/runnymede/features/memorials-at-runnymede | title = Memorials at Runnymede | publisher = National Trust | access-date = 19 October 2016 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.}}

Visitors reach the memorial by treading a steep path of irregular granite steps, intended to symbolise a pilgrimage. There are 50 steps in total, representing the 50 states in the USA. Each step is different from all others, with the entire flight made from 60,000 hand-cut granite setts.<ref name="ntmon"/> Landscape architect [[Geoffrey Jellicoe]] designed the garden;<ref name="Times080565">{{cite news |date=8 May 1965 |title=Kennedy Family Coming For Memorial Inauguration |journal=[[The Times]] |location=London |issue=56316 |page=6 |quote=Mr Geoffrey Jellicoe, the architect for the site, said ... that the point of the memorial was the landscape rather than any physical monument}}</ref> sculptor [[Alan Collins (sculptor)|Alan Collins]] designed and carved the stone inscription.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsculptor.com/collect/index.html|title=Collections|last=Collins|first=Alan|work=Alan Collins Sculptor|publisher=Alan Collins|access-date=23 November 2009}}</ref> The area of ground on which the memorial is situated was given as a gift to the United States by the people of the United Kingdom, though the area remains under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.<ref name="Broughton" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.egham.co.uk/info/jfk.html |title=Magna Carta Memorial and John F Kennedy Memorial |last=Anon |work=egham.co.uk |access-date=1 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208095822/http://egham.co.uk/info/jfk.html |archive-date=8 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Evans  | first = D. M. Emrys  | title = John F. Kennedy Memorial Act, 1964 | journal = The Modern Law Review | volume = 28 | issue = 6 | pages = 703–706 | year = 1965  }}</ref> It is maintained by the [[Kennedy Memorial Trust]], which also sponsors educational scholarships for British students to attend university in the United States.

In 1968 the 7-ton stone was damaged by a bomb during a time of anti-[[Vietnam War]] demonstrations; it was later repaired by the sculptor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DI9QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QlwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3862%2C5379553|title=Bomb mars JFK memorial|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=28 October 1968|work=[[St. Petersburg Times|St Petersburg Times]] |location=Florida |access-date=19 March 2016}}</ref>

=== Magna Carta Memorial ===
Situated in a grassed enclosure, on the lower slopes of Cooper's Hill, this memorial is of a domed classical style [[monopteros]], containing a pillar of English [[granite]] on which is inscribed "To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of Freedom Under Law". The memorial was created by the [[American Bar Association]] (ABA) after a suggestion by the lawyer and historian Louis Ottenberg.<ref>{{cite journal <!--{{sfn|Ottenberg|1957|p}} --> |last=Ottenberg |first=Louis |title=Magna Charta Documents: The Story Behind the Great Charter |journal=American Bar Association Journal |volume=43 |issue=6 |date=June 1957 |page=497 |jstor=25720021}}</ref> Designed by Sir [[Edward Maufe]] R.A., it was unveiled on 18 July 1957 at a ceremony attended by American and English lawyers.<ref name="ntmon"/>

Since 1957 representatives of the ABA have visited and rededicated the Memorial, renewing pledges to the Great Charter. In 1971 and 1985 commemorative stones were placed on the Memorial plinth. In July 2000 the ABA came:

{{blockquote|to celebrate Magna Carta, foundation of the rule of law for ages past and for the new millennium.}}

In 2007, on its 50th anniversary, the ABA again visited Runnymede. During its convention it installed as President Charles Rhyne, who devised [[Law Day (United States)|Law Day]], which in the United States represents an annual reaffirmation of faith in the forces of law for peace. Floodlights were installed in 2008 to light the memorial at night.

In 2015, in anticipation of the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, the two wooden benches at the memorial were replaced by stone benches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chilstone.com/news/magna-carta-bench/ |title=Magna Carta Bench |publisher=Chilstone |date=15 July 2015 |access-date=15 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715203823/http://chilstone.com/news/magna-carta-bench/ |archive-date=15 July 2015 }}</ref> On 15 June, the anniversary day, the ABA, accompanied by [[United States Attorney General]] [[Loretta Lynch]], rededicated the memorial in a ceremony led by [[Anne, Princess Royal]] in the presence of [[Elizabeth II]] and other members of the [[British royal family]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33126723 |title=Magna Carta changed the world, David Cameron tells anniversary event |date=15 June 2015 |publisher=BBC News|access-date=15 July 2015}}</ref>

The Magna Carta Memorial is administered by the Magna Carta Trust, which is chaired by the [[Master of the Rolls]].<ref name=rbcaba>{{cite web | title = American Bar Association | url = http://www.runnymede.gov.uk/portal/site/magnacarta/menuitem.f38b9c56ee32432edf7a8e7c9f8ca028/ | publisher = Runnymede Borough Council | access-date = 21 October 2008 }}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="135px">
File:ABA-wyrdlight-815935.jpg|ABA tribute to Magna Carta at Runnymede with stone benches installed in 2015
File:Runnymede-americanbar-visit.jpg|Engraved stone recalling the 1985 ABA visit
Image:KioskRunnymede.jpg|Lutyens designed memorial kiosk and pier
Image:Detail of Magna Carta monument.JPG|Detail of the roof of the Magna Carta memorial.
</gallery>

=== Ceremonial tree plantings ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2022}}
[[File:ABA-Runnymede-wyrdlight-814857.jpg|thumb|The Republic of India plaque beneath the oak tree planted by former Prime Minister Rao]]

[[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent]] together with David K. Diebold, a Minister-Counselor at the US Embassy in London, planted an oak tree adjacent to the Magna Carta Memorial in 1987, as did [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], [[prime minister of India]]. The Prime Minister left a plaque reading:

{{quote|As a tribute to the historic Magna Carta, a source of inspiration throughout the world, and as an affirmation of the values of Freedom, Democracy and the Rule of Law which the People of India cherish and have enshrined in their [[Constitution of India|Constitution]]. March 16, 1994}}

In 1987 two further oak trees were planted near the Memorial. One, planted by Queen Elizabeth II, marked National Tree Week. Another, planted by [[John O. Marsh Jr.]], [[United States Secretary of the Army]], has a plaque which reads:

{{quote|This oak tree, planted with soil from [[Jamestown, Virginia]], the first permanent English settlement in the New World, commemorates the bicentenary of the [[Constitution of the United States]] of America. It stands in acknowledgement that the ideals of liberty and justice embodied in the Constitution trace their lineage through institutions of English law to Magna Carta, sealed at Runnymede on June 15th, 1215.}}

=== ''The Jurors'' ===
{{Main|The Jurors}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2022}}
[[File:Jurors-wyrdlight-815983.jpg|thumb|''[[The Jurors]]'' art installation in bronze at Runnymede]]

''The Jurors'' artwork was commissioned by [[Surrey County Council]] and the National Trust to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. The sculptor [[Hew Locke]] created 12 bronze chairs each of which is decorated with symbols of past and present struggles for freedom, equality and the rule of law. The artist invites participants to sit, reflect upon and discuss the themes represented. In the image the back of the chair nearest the viewer is a representation of [[Nelson Mandela]]'s prison cell on [[Robben Island]], South Africa. The portrait seen of the further chair is of [[Lillie Lenton]] wearing insignia related to the imprisonment and activism of suffragettes.

The installation was inaugurated at Runnymede by Prince [[William, Prince of Wales|William]] during the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary celebrations.

=== ''Writ in Water'' ===
[[File:WritWater-17Jue8-wyrdlight.jpg|thumb|''Writ in Water'' art installation]]
[[File:WritWater-17J18-wyrdlight.jpg|thumb|Interior of ''Writ in Water'']]

Based on Clause 39 of Magna Carta, and inspired perhaps by the inscription on [[John Keats]]' grave monument, artist [[Mark Wallinger]] designed ''Writ in Water'' to celebrate the legacy of Magna Carta. It combines sky, light and water creating a space for reflection both physically and contemplatively. Architects Studio Octopi installed the art work on Coopers Hill Slopes (accessible from Longmede) and it was unveiled on the 803rd anniversary of the sealing of the Great Charter.<ref>{{cite press release |title='Writ in Water' – New public artwork by Mark Wallinger is unveiled at Runnymede to celebrate the legacy of Magna Carta: Press Release |publisher=National Trust |date=14 June 2018 |access-date=19 June 2018 |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/writ-in-water--new-public-artwork-by-mark-wallinger-is-unveiled-at-runnymede-to-celebrate-the-legacy-of-magna-carta?utm }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Charlotte |last=Higgins |author-link=Charlotte Higgins |title=Sanctuary for human rights: Mark Wallinger's Magna Carta chamber |newspaper=The Guardian |date=15 June 2018 |access-date=19 June 2018 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jun/15/laying-down-the-law-mark-wallingers-magna-carta-chamber }}</ref>

=== Cooper's Hill House ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2022}}

A large house on Cooper's Hill, overlooking Runnymede and the River Thames, has been at different times: the [[Royal Indian Engineering College]]; wartime [[General Post Office|Post Office]] headquarters; storage during [[World War II]] for the statue of [[Anteros]] (popularly known as "Eros") from the [[Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain]], [[Picadilly Circus]], London; an emergency teacher training college; the [[Shoreditch College of Education]] (a centre for craft and handiwork education); and most recently, [[Brunel University]]'s department of design (since relocated to Brunel University's campus in Uxbridge).

=== Ankerwycke Yew ===
The 1,400-year-old-plus<ref>{{cite book |last=Bevan-Jones |first=Robert |title=The ancient yew: a history of ''Taxus baccata'' |year=2004 |publisher=Windgather Press |location=Bollington |isbn=0-9545575-3-0 |page=57}}</ref> [[Ankerwycke Yew]], on the left (east) bank of the river, is also a possible site where Magna Carta may have been sealed. The tree could have been the location of the [[Witan]] council and influenced the founding of St Mary's Priory there. This religious site may well have been the preferred neutral meeting place of King John and the barons.

Land development proposals threatening the yew led to action resulting in the tree and surrounding estate passing into the protection of the National Trust in 1998.

[[Henry VIII]] is said to have met [[Anne Boleyn]] under the tree in the 1530s.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Jon |last1=Stokes |first2=Donald |last2=Rodger |title=The Heritage Trees of Britain and Northern Ireland |date=2004 |publisher=Constable |isbn=978-1-84119-959-7}}</ref>

In 1992, botanist and environmental campaigner [[David Bellamy]] led a dedication at the yew, stating:

{{blockquote|We the free people of the islands of Great Britain on the 777th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta do: Look back and give thanks for the benefits that the signings, sealing and swearing of oaths on that document handed down to us. Look forward to a new age of freedom through sustainability by granting the following rights to all the sons of plants and animals with which we share our islands and our planet.}}

There followed ten pledges to sustain all life forms.<ref name=ntmon>{{cite web |first=Jeremy |last=Harte |title=How old is that old yew? |url=http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/oldyews.htm |work=At the Edge |date=July 1997 |access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref>