Lambeth Palace

Back in February I was able to tour Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his family. Because of an error with the booking site there was only one other person on the tour with me. So we essentially had a private tour and I was able to take some photos of the inside.

The Chapel is the oldest part of Lambeth Palace dating back to the 1200s. It was badly damaged during World War II, particularly the roof and stained glass. It was restored using donations from congregations around the world and each seat in the quire has a flag from one of the donating countries. 

The Great Hall is where the Archbishop received and entertained guests with feasts and banquets. One of these guests may have been King Henry VIII as it is known that he stayed at Lambeth Palace. On a day to day basis the Great Hall was used as sleeping quarters for the staff and servants of Lambeth Palace who did not have homes of their own.

The south front of Lambeth Palace is the entrance to the Archbishop's apartments, offices, and state rooms. Bath stones were used to build this part of the palace but they were damaged from the soot and grime from Waterloo Station (built ten years after the palace was completed) and pollution from nearby factories. You can still see the discoloration of the stones around the door. 

The State Drawing Room was also badly damaged in World War II. A replica ceiling of the original design was only finished in 1999. Hanging on a wall in this private sitting room was a painting always said to be Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. Staff from the National Portrait Gallery noticed the painting and found (after a lot of research and x-rays) that the painting is actually Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. The original portrait is now hanging in the National Portrait Gallery and a copy is displayed in the room at Lambeth Palace. 

The Guard Room was probably built in the 14th century and the name "the guard room" first appears in work records dating back to 1423. Sir Thomas More was asked to take the Oath of Supremacy in this room. This would have acknowledged Henry VIII as supreme head of the English church. Sir Thomas More refused and soon after was found guilty of treason and beheaded.

My favorite part of the Guard Room were these carvings of faces at the end of the roof beams. I especially like the one on the left because I think it looks like the person is nervously biting their nails. I imagine them doing this during a tense meeting like the one with Sir Thomas More. 

Lambeth Palace has beautiful gardens and even has a view of the Houses of Parliament. You can see one of the towers popping up over the fence in the middle of the photo below. 

There is a lot of sad history to Lambeth Palace. During the English Civil War, it was occupied by soldiers of Parliament and was intentionally damaged. The soldiers even broke open the tomb of a former Archbishop and threw out his bones in the stable yard. During the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, angry mobs stormed and ransacked the palace. The Archbishop escaped to the Tower of London but that was also stormed and he was beheaded by the mob. 

Even with all the turmoil in its history, Lambeth Palace is a beautiful place to visit. The gardens will be open to visitors (for a £5 donation to the host charity) on the first Friday of every month from now until October 2016.