Magna Carta Bench

This year, last month, saw the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, and Chilstone were extremely proud and privileged to be commissioned to produce a pair of bespoke stone benches to mark the momentous occasion! magna-carta-monument-uk The Magna Carta signing took place in a small field by the Thames near Windsor Castle on June 15 1215… Sometimes referred to as ‘the Birth Certificate of Civilisation’ the Magna Carta was the first document to proclaim rights of the individual to be tried by jury. It sought to block the autocratic rule of the king. The most famous clauses of Magna Carta are numbered 39 and 40. “No free man is to be arrested, or imprisoned, or disseised (killed), or outlawed, or exiled, or in any other way ruined, nor will we go against him or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.” And, “to no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay, right or justice.” These have been interpreted in the centuries that followed 1215 as setting out the basic liberties of an English subject. The Founding Fathers of the United States drew on them in writing the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. These ideas are present in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – which followed the harrowing scenes in the concentration camps and described in 1946 by its champion Eleanor Roosevelt as “a Magna Carta for all mankind”. It is only right that a lasting monument should mark this special spot in Runnymede for all to see, and the wooden benches that previously stood either side of the world famous Magna Carta memorial were looking rather tired. The new Magna Carta Chilstone benches were commissioned by the American BAR association who were responsible for the original memorial installation in 1957. Magna-Carta-Bench-being-cured The Chilstone Magna Carta benches seen curing outside in production phase In honour of the 800th anniversary massive celebrations were held on the spot of signing. HM the Queen, Prime Minister David Cameron and a host of dignitaries gathered again in the small meadow at Runnymede, and the stone benches by Chilstone were photographed many times over by the worlds press! magna-carta-800-at-runnymede magna-carta-anniversary magna-carta-celebrations-2015 magna-carta-stone-benches These prestigious Magna Carta stone benches have now been added to the Chilstone furniture collection, so you can enjoy a piece of British history in your own back garden.

For more information on Magna Carta Bench talk to Chilstone Architectural Stone & Garden Ornaments