JFK Memorial in Surrey Given Protected Status

As highlighted recently by The American magazine, an acre of land in Runnymede, Surrey, which is dedicated to the former US President, John F Kennedy, has been given Grade II status and added to the Register of Parks and Gardens as part of the National Heritage List for England.

The Kennedy memorial landscape is described by Historic England as a tribute to, ‘The on-going struggle for democracy and liberty’. The inscription on the memorial includes a quote from the inaugural address of President Kennedy on 10 January 1961:

“Let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.”

The memorial was designed during 1964 and 1965 by one of Britain’s best known post-war architects, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe. It was jointly dedicated on May 14, 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy, two years after the President had been assassinated in November 1963. The acre of land was given to the USA by the people of Britain in memory of John F Kennedy.

The JFK Memorial is free to visit. For more details, go to the National Trust website for Runnymede – www.nationaltrust.org.uk/runnymede.