Guildhall to celebrate Magna Carta

This has been the year that has proliferated with events marking and celebrating Magna Carta. The 800-year-old great charter, which was agreed on 15 June 1215 at Runnymede by King John in a practical bid to appease a group of rebel barons, was the first  document of its kind, signed on parchment, to have pioneered civil liberties, to have given all free citizens the right to justice and a fair trial and to have forced kings and queens to abide by the rule of law.

And next month marks the turn of the Guildhall Library and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in the CIty of London to offer its tribute to the document that formed the first great building block of today’s British constitution (also, notably, echoed in the US’s Bill of Rights).

On 19 September, the Guildhall will stage a spectacular 3D light show set to period music to tell the story of Magna Carta and celebrate celebrate 800 years of law, liberty and freedom. To do this, it will use ancient documents from the City’s collections alongside original music compositions from the Guildhall School, which will undoubtedly make for a riveting coming together of history with visual art and music.

Magna Carta Son et Lumière, on 19 September, is FREE to all and is part of the London Open House weekend. Find out more at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/sonetlumiere