I'm always on the lookout for new ideas that help you to develop new UK-bound business, and next year's 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta offers some great opportunities. In next week's Britain Insider, I'll tell you more about the exciting new developments at Lincoln Castle, England and show how visiting the Magna Carta's new home will give you the starting point for some imaginative new UK tours but to set the scene, some historical background:
On June 15, 1215, Magna Carta, or the Great Charter of the Liberties of England, was sealed under oath by King John at Runnymede on the banks of the River Thames. Widely known throughout the English speaking world, it led to the rule of constitutional law in England and beyond.
Eight centuries on, one of only four remaining original Magna Carta documents will take pride of place in a new state-of-the-art visit attraction in Lincoln Castle. Before that it will be exhibited first at Boston's Museum of Fine Art between July 2 and Sept. 1. It will be on view alongside other historical objects including the MFA's Sons of Liberty Bowl (1768) by Paul Revere--engraved with the words "Magna/Charta" and "Bill of/Rights"--and two manuscript copies of the Declaration of Independence--originally penned by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
In September, Magna Carta moves to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts for an exhibition from Sept. 6 until Nov. 2. The exhibition will underscore the document's importance as the foundation of the principles that shaped the nation and inspire visitors to consider anew the notions of democracy and freedom.
The final exhibition is at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C, where it will be on display from Nov. 6, 2014 until Jan. 9, 2015. In addition to the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, this exhibition will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the November 1939 deposit of the Lincoln Magna Carta at the library for safekeeping during World War II. The document was on display at the 1939 World's Fair in New York when the war began. Until the U.S. entry into the war, it was exhibited at the library, after which it was taken to Fort Knox and returned to Britain in 1947. The exhibition will include a symposium scheduled for Dec. 9.
As this banner year offers you the chance to develop some new UK-bound business, and if you live within striking distance of Boston, Williamstown or Washington, D.C., start thinking about how a visit to one of the exhibitions could help you to promote a customized UK tour next year.
In February 2015, this copy of the Magna Carta will be reunited briefly with the other three surviving 1215 documents for a major event at the British Library in London. All four will be brought together for the first time for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.
Lincoln's Magna Carta will then return home to take up residence in its new location from April 2015 - the state of the art audio/visual Magna Carta Vault, just one part of the new-look Lincoln Castle, following the completion of its $35m refurbishment. More on the Magna Carta celebrations next week.
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