The English Estate Where the Magna Carta Was Signed Just Listed for $6 Million
Even though this Victorian estate on the idyllic River Thames was completed in 1834, the property has a history that dates back much further. Its biggest claim to fame is that it was built on the same site where King John is believed to have signed the Magna Carta in June 1215. Today, the Grade II-listed home in Runnymede includes a specially commissioned Charter Room that holds the stone slab on which the famous document was sealed.
The waterside residence, which has come to market for £4.5 million (or about $6 million), sits on its own private island, aptly named Magna Carta Island. Accessible by a small bridge connecting to the mainland near Wraysbury village, the secluded spread—officially known as the Magna Carter House—features a whopping four acres of lush mature gardens, roughly 1,300 feet of riverbank frontage, and a private boat mooring. The extensive grounds also include a keepsake from another British royal, Queen Elizabeth II. The late monarch, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96, is said to have planted a tree here during her tour of the UK in 1974.
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Initially built by George Simon Harcourt, an English politician and the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, the stately stone residence received a large extension in the early 20th century. The renovation, which brought the house to about 4,700 square feet, stayed true to the original architecture, incorporating Welsh slate roofing, arched leaded windows, and reclaimed Jacobean paneling in interior spaces. The two-story spread retains a ton of other period embellishments too, including external gables, dark wood floorboards, cylindrical stone chimneys, beamed ceilings, and a few stained-glass accents.
Altogether, the house is fitted with six bedrooms and just two bathrooms. One of its standout features is the aforementioned Charter Room, which is said to be secured with many locks and is fitted with an octagonal fixed wooden table at the center, in addition to crests of the 13th-century king and the 25 rebel barons he brokered peace with. Historians and collectors will note that the stone slab transfers with the purchase of the home.
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Other highlights include a banquet-style dining hall large enough to accommodate up to 20 guests. The baronial room is kitted out with decorative leaded windows, an open fireplace, and wood panels taken from Bisham Abbey in Berkshire. Also on the grounds is a detached, five-room cottage that, admittedly, would require a gut restoration before it could host guests. There’s also an opportunity to turn an existing water feature on the stone terrace into a swimming pool.
“Homes on private islands with extensive grounds and their own moorings are highly sought-after,” says Soren Ravaux, board director of real estate agency Waterview. “Its place in history, at the heart of the world-famous Runnymede memorial landscape, a celebration of democracy and liberty, is bound to attract global interest.”
Click here to see more photos of Magna Carta House.
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