Erection date: 1932
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, 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.
Site: Magna Carta & U. H. Broughton & F. D. Roosevelt - north (3 memorials)
SL4, Windsor Road, Fairhaven Memorial Lodges
This is a multi-part monument: with four elements, spread over two sites, This northern one and the southern one. At each site there are two piers with inscribed texts front and back. The texts consist of two paragraphs (one about Magna Carta and one about the donation) which alternate front and back in each pier pair.
As part of this memorial Lutyens also designed a bridge to take the A30 across the Thames, near the southern site. When the M25 arrived in the 1980s the Lutyens bridge was kept to carry the north-bound traffic, and a new bridge built to the south for the rest. The southern part of the memorial must have originally been much closer to the bridge since the arrival of the M25 meant it had to be moved to its current site. We cannot discover the exact original location but guess it might have been where the roundabout now is.
The whole monument was designed by Lutyens and opened by Edward VIII (while still Prince of Wales).
The lodge on the left of our photo, the west, houses a good cafe.
