Magna Carta
Australian Parliament House
Image © Auspic, Department of Parliamentary Servies
Canberra, Australia
2024
Goppion is often called upon to help protect, conserve and display precious artifacts with great historic significance. In 2023 we were engaged to develop a new display case for a one of the most culturally valuable documents in the world: a 1297 inspeximus issue of the Magna Carta.
Magna Carta (Latin for ‘Great Charter’) is celebrated as a founding document in the development of constitutional and parliamentary government.
The Magna Carta is a charter of liberties first granted in June 1215 by King John of England as a treaty of rights and concessions to end a baron-led revolt. From its articles emerged the concept that nobody, not even the king, is above the rule of law. Among other freedoms, the Magna Carta became the inspiration for establishing trial by jury, outlawing arbitrary detention, and rejecting taxation without representation.
Its principles have been incorporated into the common law of many nations and are embodied in such documents as the United States Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Australia’s Constitution.
Less than two months after it was first granted, the Magna Carta was annulled. However, throughout the 13th century King John’s successors, including King Edward I in 1297, revised and reissued it during their own political crises. Very few 13th century copies of the Magna Carta are known to survive.
Goppion has a unique history with the Magna Carta, having designed and fabricated cases for three other copies over the past decade. In Lincoln Castle, we created a glass “case-in-case” display, ensuring robust conservation controls while offering a fully transparent view. At Durham Cathedral Museum, we engineered a spacious display case, housing the Magna Carta alongside other paper and parchment documents, with precise environmental controls to maintain conservation standards over a large interior volume. Additionally, at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., we developed a single lectern-style showcase featuring exceptional airtightness to protect the document’s delicate condition.
This iconic document has now taken Goppion to the other side of the world. The version of the Magna Carta owned by the Australian nation and on display in Canberra is the 1297 issue, the Inspeximus Magna Carta ('Inspeximus' is Latin for 'we have inspected' — confirming a charter made by a former king). One of only four surviving copies, it was removed from display in 2016 to undergo a painstaking conservation and research project by the University of Melbourne’s Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation.
Magna Carta on display in Members’ Hall at Australian Parliament House, courtesy of Auspic, Department of Parliamentary Servies.
In Australian summer 2024, it was ready to be publicly displayed in a new, upgraded setting. For this special project, Goppion designed and built a special customized solution.
Called a Case-in-Case, it comprises a Qv1 freestanding outer showcase housing an inner F Preservation Case. Outer glass doors are opened smoothly with a suction cup attachment, and the document is displayed within, on an inner tilting lectern which allows easier curatorial access. The inner glazed Preservation Case is securely fixed to the lectern with a protective bronze frame.
The Preservation Case itself, crafted entirely from anodized aluminum, required a sophisticated approach beyond the more common powder-coated aluminum. This choice of material aligns with conservation standards while delivering a refined aesthetic suitable for its location in the Parliament’s Members Hall. Achieving airtightness posed a unique engineering challenge, solved with a complex gasket system that eliminates the need for additional sealants. This meticulous design protects the Magna Carta from environmental fluctuations, ensuring its long-term preservation.
Despite its compact size, the Preservation Case is engineered to accommodate not only the Magna Carta itself but also its intricate existing mounting system. This design ensures precise accessibility and adjustability, facilitating curatorial tasks within the constrained space.
At the base of the showcase are two discreet compartments: one houses a sliding silica drawer to protect against humidity, the other an electrical panel for monitoring. Additionally, the display case incorporates dual RH% control systems—both passive and active—allowing technical staff to monitor and adjust humidity levels in real time, further safeguarding the document.
Every material selected for this project underwent rigorous testing, including Oddy Tests and GCMS analysis, carried out in collaboration with the University of Melbourne. The aesthetic challenge was equally demanding: Goppion worked with the Department of Parliamentary Services Design Integrity team and members of the original architectural team which designed Parliament House to ensure that each design detail was meticulously crafted to align with the design language of Members’ Hall. This collaboration allowed the case to blend perfectly within its historic surroundings while upholding the highest conservation standards.
While the Magna Carta's original context was feudal, its principles have evolved to represent broader concepts of justice, liberty, and the rule of law in modern times. In Australia, it is proudly displayed once more, as a symbol of parliamentary democracy, and a cornerstone of constitutional government.