Topography
The name Runnymede is used commonly now to refer to land in National Trust ownership in the Thames flood plain south-west of the river between Old Windsor and Egham. The area comprises Long Mede and Runnymede which together with Coopers Hill Slopes is managed by the National Trust, and Yard Mede.
The landscape of Runnymede is characterised as ‘Thames Basin Lowland’, urban fringe, which is a gently undulating vale of small-scale fields interspersed by woods, shaws ponds, meadows, and heath. The National Trust area is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) which contains a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Both sites are overseen by Runnymede Borough Council.
The National Trust holding encompasses 188 acres (0.76 km2) donated in 1929 by Cara Rogers Broughton and her two sons. (The American-born widow of Urban Hanlon Broughton, she became the first Lady Fairhaven.) The gift was given in memory of Urban Broughton. At the time, The New Bedford Standard-Times commented "It must be a source of gratification to all Americans, and especially to us here and in Fairhaven, that the presentation of this historic spot as public ground has been brought about by an American woman, an appropriate enough circumstance considering that the great charter underlies the UsA's conception of government and human rights."
The National Trust holding also includes 110 acres (0.45 km2) of broadleaved woodland on Coopers Hill Slopes, given in 1963 by Egham Urban District Council. (In April 1974, the Council was subsumed within Runnymede Borough.)
Long Mede is a meadow north of the ancient 'mede' of Runnymede towards Old Windsor and has been used for centuries to provide a good-quality hay from the alluvial pasture. Runnymede itself lies towards Egham and is associated popularly with Magna Carta Island, although they are located on opposite banks of the Thames. Both are considered plausible locations for the sealing of the Magna Carta.
Near the Island, on the north-east flood plain, in park land, are Ankerwycke and the ruins of the twelfth-century Priory of St Mary's. The Thames has changed course regularly, and these areas may once have been an integral part of Runnymede. Both were acquired by the National Trust in 1998.
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