The minuscule territory of the United States located in Runnymede, England

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If you ask anyone, they'll tell you there are no land borders between the two countries. In fact, I asked the same question to Twitter's and Google's AI, and their answer was negative. However, there is a sovereign US territory in Runnymede, England, west of London, accessed through a simple gate that no border guard watches. Once you pass through that gate, you leave British territory and enter the United States.

This small territory of the United States in the heart of England is a very recent enclave, considering the age of the country in which it is located. The origin of this small enclave dates back to November 22, 1963, the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, US president, in Dallas, Texas. That crime shocked the United States and British society as well.

In 1965, the United Kingdom erected a memorial to John F. Kennedy at Runnymede, a site of great historical significance for England, as it was there that King John of England, brother of Richard the Lionheart, granted the famous Magna Carta on June 15, 1215, a document that granted certain rights to his subjects and which the monarch later violated. The National Trust explains the inauguration of the memorial by Queen Elizabeth II of England as follows:

"On 14 May 1965, Her Majesty was joined by President Kennedy’s widow, Jackie, and their two children to inaugurate the memorial. During her speech, the Queen also formally bequeathed to the United States the acre of land on which the Portland stone memorial is located, meaning that when you step through the gate, you pass from British to American soil."

This monument to John F. Kennedy was designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, architect and landscape designer. The monument consists of a seven-ton block of Portland stone, on which these words spoken by Kennedy in his inaugural address as president on January 20, 1961, appear:

"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 ascent to the monument is made via 50 steps, representing the states that make up the US, formed by 60,000 granite paving stones. "A paved pathway leads to the Seats of Contemplation (the end of the journey) from where there is a superb view of Runnymede," notes the Kennedy Memorial Trust, which adds: "The memorial was listed in 1998, and the wider memorial landscape has recently been added to the Register of Parks and Gardens."

So, the next time someone asks you if the United States and the United Kingdom share a land border, you can answer yes. If you'd like to learn more about this location and the monument it houses, Tom Thornton recently posted a video of his visit:

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Main photo: nationaltrust.org.uk.