Web reaches a 'bench' mark in UK

By Richard Stenger
CNN Science and Technology

(CNN) -- A historic town in England will soon sport the most sophisticated park bench in the world, one that allows the physically weary but mentally spirited to sit down and plug into the Internet.

MSN.co.uk, a partner of software giant Microsoft, said the park bench would be the first in the world to offer laptop users access to the Web, which it will provide for free.

The British Web portal intends to install the bench within weeks in Bury St. Edmunds, a village in the southeast near Cambridge that borders Silicon Fen, the British rival to California's Silicon Valley.

The historic rather than high-tech heritage of Bury St. Edmunds helped convince MSN to chose it over thousands of others cities competing for the honor.

The bench will be located in the town's Abbey Gardens, near the ruins of an abbey where English barons vowed in 1214 to make King John sign the Magna Carta.

"It was the most significant human rights document in history," MSN spokesman Scott Devine said.

Eight hundred or so years later, the town would again make a splash with the "most significant communications facility in history," he added.

But until the bench is installed, MSN must deal with more a mundane matter.

"We're still working on the bench project. We've got guys working on making it reasonably vandal-proof," Devine said.