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Great Hall, Lambeth Palace

History of Lambeth Palace Library

Founded in 1610, the Library is one of England's oldest public libraries, and has had a rich and varied history.

Lambeth Palace Library Reading Room

Using the Library

Information on using the Library's collections.

Lambeth Palace Library entrance v2

Getting Here

The Library is located in central London near the Houses of Parliament and is easily reached by public transport.
Archbishop Richard Bancroft (Lambeth Palace Portrait)

Opening Hours

The Library is open from 10am to 5pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 10am to 7.30pm on Thursdays. Please note that the Library is closed on Mondays.

The Library will close at 2.30pm on Tuesday 4 June. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Finishing with gold leaf in the Library's Conservation Studio

Conservation

The Library carries out a range of conservation and preservation work on its collections in order to ensure they are preserved for future generations.
Queen Anne's Bounty First Charter (1704)

Using the Church of England Record Centre

The Church of England Record Centre is a further archives and records repository of central church bodies alongside Lambeth Palace Library.

CBC St John's, Waterloo

Records Management Guides

The Church of England Record Centre provides records management advice to the wider church, primarily through a range of guides to Parish, Diocesan and Episcopal record keeping. These guides are designed to help develop a consistent and best practice approach to the treatment of church records whether paper or electronic.

Interior of Newton in Clifton church, Staffs

Cathedrals and Church Buildings Library

The Cathedrals and Church Buildings Library at Church House, Westminster houses books and other material relating to ecclesiastical architecture and related topics.

Applewoman Outside Lambeth Palace (Print XXVI-09)

Job Vacancies

The Library has vacancies for two Archives Assistants.