University of Buckingham Students’ exclusive preview of Magna Carta

A group of politics students from The University of Buckingham were the first to see the restored Magna Carta in The Guildhall.

The 17 undergraduates were accompanied by Mallory Factor, Course Professor, for the exclusive visit on 11 September.

The 1297 Magna Carta, widely regarded as one of the finest surviving 13^th century copes, is in the new Heritage Gallery at the Guildhall Art Gallery, which opened to the public the day afterwards.

The City of London Corporation has developed the gallery to showcase a selection of treasures to mark the 800^th anniversary of the Magna Carta in 2015.

For The University of Buckingham students studying American politics, it was particularly poignant that the visit is on 11 September with an American professor. The Magna Carta laid the foundations for modern democracy. Over the years, Magna Carta developed great significance for Americans and is thought to have influenced the framers of the Declaration of Independence.

Professor Mallory Factor said: “The Magna Carta is so important, it is the foundation of western civilisation’s rule of law and it is so vital to the American experiment, harking back to the glorious revolution. And, that’s why we came here because it’s so important to see it for real, to see what really makes western civilisation tick.”

Connor Keown, BA politics, economics and law student at the university of Buckingham, added: “This is second to none as a politics experience, especially as a student of the subject. The Magna Carta is fundamental to the foundation of democracy across the world.”

The students had lunch with the Rt Hon John Bercow in the Speaker’s House prior to the viewing.