Lambeth Palace

Coordinates: 51°29′44″N 0°7′11″W / 51.49556°N 0.11972°W / 51.49556; -0.11972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Lambeth Palace
See of Canterbury
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameLambeth Palace
Designated19 October 1951
Reference no.1116399
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
Official nameLambeth Palace
Designated1 October 1987
Reference no.1000818
Lambeth Palace is located in Greater London
Lambeth Palace
Location of Lambeth Palace in Greater London

Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, 400 yards (370 metres)[1] south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament, on the opposite bank.

Close to Westminster and the City, the estate was first acquired by the archdiocese for the archbishop (who also has a residence at Old Palace, Canterbury) around 1200.

History

The Great Hall, St Mary-at-Lambeth, and the Tudor gatehouse (from inside), with the river on the right.

While the original residence of the archbishop of Canterbury was in his

John Wycliff, who was tried here for heresy. In the Peasants' Revolt
of 1381, the palace was attacked.

The oldest remaining part of the palace is the chapel which was built in the

John Morton and completed in 1495. Cardinal Pole lay in state in the palace for 40 days after he died there in 1558. The fig tree in the palace courtyard is possibly grown from a slip taken from one of the White Marseille fig trees here for centuries (reputedly planted by Cardinal Pole). In 1786,[3] there were three ancient figs, two "nailed against the wall" and still noted in 1826 as "two uncommonly fine... traditionally reported to have been planted by Cardinal Pole, and fixed against that part of the palace believed to have been founded by him. They are of the white Marseilles sort, and still bear delicious fruit. ...On the south side of the building, in a small private garden, is another tree of the same kind and age."[4] By 1882, their place had been taken by several massive offshoots.[5] The notable orchard of the medieval period has somewhat given way to a mirroring public park adjoining and built-up roads of housing and offices. The palace gardens were listed grade II in October 1987.[6]

The

Interregnum was over. As with some Gothic details on University buildings of the same date, it is debated among architectural historians whether this is "Gothic survival" or an early work of the "Gothic Revival". The diarist Samuel Pepys
recognised it as "a new old-fashioned hall".

The building is

Ragstone with ashlar quoins and a brick turret is much older.[7]

Among the portraits of the archbishops in the palace are works by Hans Holbein, Anthony van Dyck, William Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds.[citation needed]

New construction was added to the building in 1834 by

ex officio a member of the House of Lords
.

  • Map of 1897, showing the palace opposite the river from Westminster Palace, with Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge crossing the river
    Map of 1897, showing the palace opposite the river from Westminster Palace, with Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge crossing the river
  • The Guard Room
    The Guard Room
  • The great hall with Cardinal Pole's fig tree in front
    The great hall with Cardinal Pole's fig tree in front
  • Lambeth Palace from the south c. 1685
    Lambeth Palace from the south c. 1685
  • Lambeth Palace main entrance
    Lambeth Palace main entrance
  • The 19th-century range
    The 19th-century range

Library

Lambeth Palace Library, 2021

Within the palace precincts is Lambeth Palace Library, the official library of the archbishop of Canterbury, and the principal repository of records of the Church of England. It describes itself as "the largest religious collection outside of the Vatican".[8]

The library was founded as a public library by Archbishop Richard Bancroft in 1610, and was historically located within the main Palace complex. A new purpose-built library and repository opened in 2021. This is located at the far end of the Palace gardens, with its entrance on Lambeth Palace Road, and was designed by Wright & Wright. In addition to the existing library collections, it houses the archival collections of various Church of England institutions formerly held at the Church of England Record Centre (opened 1989) in Bermondsey.[9]

The library contains an extensive collection of material relating to ecclesiastical history, including the archives of the archbishops dating back to the 12th century, and those of other church bodies and of various

Anglican missionary and charitable societies. Manuscripts include items dating back to the 9th century. The library also holds over 120,000 printed books. In 1996, when Sion College
Library closed, Lambeth Palace Library acquired its important holdings of manuscripts, pamphlets, and pre-1850 printed books.

Topics covered by the collections range from the history of art and architecture to colonial and Commonwealth history, and numerous aspects of English social, political and economic history. The library is also an important resource for local history and genealogy. For online catalogues, see External links below.

Highlights of the collection

Illumination of the Tree of Jesse from the 12th-century Lambeth Bible

Notable items in the collections include:

St Mary-at-Lambeth

Main article: Garden Museum

Immediately outside the gatehouse stands the former parish church of St Mary-at-Lambeth which was preserved by a campaign led by John and

his son of the same name, and of Admiral William Bligh. St Mary's was deconsecrated in 1972, when the parish was absorbed into the surrounding parish of North Lambeth which has three active churches, the nearest being St Anselm's Church, Kennington Cross.[11][12] The Museum of Garden History (now the Garden Museum
) opened in the building in 1977, taking advantage of its Tradescant associations.

During the renovation works of 2016, a previously unknown crypt was discovered, containing 30 coffins.[13] Amongst these were those of five archbishops of Canterbury—Richard Bancroft, Thomas Tenison, Matthew Hutton, Frederick Cornwallis, and John Moore—as well as that of John Bettesworth, Dean of the Arches.

Resident community

Main article: Community of Saint Anselm

Lambeth Palace is home to the Community of Saint Anselm, an Anglican religious order that is under the patronage of the archbishop of Canterbury.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Google (20 March 2015). "Lambeth Palace" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  2. ^ Dunton, Larkin (1896). The World and its People. Silver, Burdett. p. 37.
  3. ^ Andrew Coltee Ducarel, History and Antiquities of the Palace of Lambeth, 1786 (as Biblioteca Topographica Britannica, vol. II pt 5, 1790)
  4. ^ Thomas Allen, The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Lambeth 1826:229, paraphrasing Ducarel.
  5. ^ "It were a grave omission to pass over unnoticed the 'Lambeth fig-trees.' Two of extraordinary size, supposed to have been planted by Cardinal Pole, formerly stood near the east end of the old garden front: they have long ago died, but three or four thriving offshoots, now grown into venerable trees, may still be seen basking on the sunny side of the Great Hall" (John Cave-Browne, Lambeth palace and its associations, 1882:310); "It was Cardinal Pole who is said to have planted the two fig-trees in Lambeth garden, which were still to be seen in 1806, while slips taken from the original plants are now flourishing trees." (Robert Sangster Rait and Caroline C. Morewood, English episcopal palaces (province of Canterbury), 1910:74)
  6. ^ a b Historic England. "Lambeth Palace (Grade II) (1000818)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Lambeth Palace (Grade I) (1116399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Lambeth Palace". The Archbishop of Canterbury. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  9. ^ "History of the Library". Lambeth Palace Library. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  10. ^ "History of the Garden Museum". Garden Museum. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  11. ^ Map of North Lambeth parish A Church Near You church finder - Church of England
  12. ^ Lambeth Mission St Mary Archived 31 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine A Church Near You church finder - Church of England
  13. ^ Brinkhurst-Cuff, Charlie (16 April 2017). "Remains of five archbishops found near Lambeth Palace". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  14. ^ Lodge, Carey (18 September 2015). "Archbishop Welby launches monastic community at Lambeth Palace". Christian Today. Retrieved 5 April 2016.

Bibliography

External links

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