Runnymede
By the River Thames near the village of Egham lies the tranquil fields of Runnymede. A 300 acre site on which King John of England in 1215 set his seal to the "Great Charter" or Magna Carta . This marked the beginnings of the basic principles of British justice, which were later adopted by many other countries, including the United States. The Magna Carta ensured that the king would not infringe certain rights of the time such as those of the Church and various feudal customs. He was not, for instance, allowed to make excessive financial demands on the barons without their consent. The freedoms of individuals were also guaranteed as no freeman could be arrested or imprisoned except by the judgement of his peers or the law of the land. Although when it was signed the Manga Carta ensured that civil war was avoided, the document was almost forgotten when feudalism waned. Nevertheless during the 17th it was reinterpreted by parliament as a democratic document. Four original copies of the Magna Carta exist two in the British Museum and one each in Lincoln and Salisbury Cathedrals.
The site of the signing ceremony is commemorated by a modest memorial of a single pillar of granite with a low rotunda that was erected by the American Bar society. Two other memorials share the site. Nearby lies a simple memorial to President John F. Kennedy erected on a one acre of land. The oldest memorial on the site, however, is the Air Forces Memorial at the top of Cooper's Hill, commemorating the 20,000 airman killed in World War Two who have no known grave. Their names are inscribed on tablets that are arranged in the form of leaves of an open book. From this vantage point there are beautiful views to be had across the River Thames.
The site at Runnymede is dissected by numerous paths and includes watermeadows, beech-clad slopes and a secluded pond. All in all Runymede provides a very pleasant setting for a peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of London.