The John F Kennedy Memorial Act was passed in 1964 and is an "Act to vest in the United States of America a site at Runnymede forming part of the Crown Estate to be preserved in perpetuity in memory of the late President John F Kennedy for the use and enjoyment of the public ..." The Act was established following recommendation of a Government committee chaired by Lord Franks for the most fitting form of memorial to the assassinated President. The Memorial is maintained by the Kennedy Memorial Trust, which in keeping with Franks recommendations also sponsors educational scholarships for British students to attend university in the United States

The memorial was jointly dedicated in May 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy accompanied by her children Caroline and John. The ceremony was witnessed by Edward Kennedy, Haold MacMillan and Harold Wilson prior to a reception at Windsor Castle.

The memorial centrepiece designed by Sir Geoffery Jellicoe is a 7 ton Portland stone tablet resting on a granite block. It is inscribed with the famous quote shown above from Kennedy's Presidential Inaugural Address. The sculptor was Alan Collins. A hawthorne tree, long a symbol of hope, stands near the memorial and behind it a scarlet oak usually native to the south east  of the United States. Runnymede and its association with ideals of liberty and justice made it a natural choice to site the memorials.

A terrace path at the right of the stone tablet leads to two "Seats iof Contemplation" with views over the meads and River Thames.

The entire memorial reportedly follows the theme of Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and the notion of life, death and spirit. The Pilgrim, an ordinary person, travels from his hometown representing this world to the top of Mount Zion and heaven. Visitors reach the memorial by treading a steep path of irregular granite steps, intended to symbolise a pilgrimage. There are 50 steps in total. Each step is different to all others, with the entire flight made from 60,000 hand-cut granite setts. The IRA once attempted to blow up the memorial, perhaps emulating Bunyan's Appollyon - The Destroyer!