Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library and record office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the principal repository of the documentary history of the Church of England. Its collections have been freely available for research since 1610.
The records held here date from the 9th century to the present day, and their broad scope reflects the office of Archbishop as head of the Province of Canterbury, his national and international roles in leading the Church of England and the Anglican Communion worldwide, and the wealth and power of Archbishops in past centuries which enabled them to collect books and manuscripts of the highest quality and significance.
James I described the Library as ‘a monument of fame' in his kingdom. Peter the Great, who visited in 1698, is recorded as saying that nothing in England astonished him as much as Lambeth Palace Library; he had never thought there were so many books in all the world.
In 1996 Lambeth Palace Library took into its care all the early collections of Sion College, the historic library of the City of London clergy, which comprise manuscripts, pre-1850 printed books, and pamphlets. Its collection complements that of Lambeth with a key focus on the Church, but a rich diversity of other subject material.
Access to the Library's collections is freely available to the public and appointments are not necessary.
However, on their first visit users must obtain a library ticket. Tickets are valid for two years and allow access to all classes of material with the exception of restricted material, such as illuminated manuscripts. In order to be issued with a ticket, readers should bring two recent passport-style photographs and two forms of ID -one piece of photo ID and one proof of address. Readers should present one piece of ID from each of the following lists:
Photo ID
Proof of address
Please note that if an item appears on both lists it can only be used once.
[NB Members of staff of the National Church Institutions should bring their staff pass, which will be valid for all classes of material with the exception of restricted material such as illuminated manuscripts].
The Library is situated on London's Lambeth Palace Road, near Lambeth Bridge, on the south side of the River Thames. Click here [1] for a map.
The entrance is the door set into the wall (pictured right) and is clearly marked with a brass plate and bell. Please ring once only for admittance, and be patient whilst someone comes to open the door.
The nearest Underground stations are Westminster, Vauxhall, Lambeth North and Waterloo.
Bus routes stopping outside the Palace include number 507 which runs between Victoria and Waterloo stations.
Owing to essential building work the Library will be closed from 5pm on Friday 23rd December 2011 until Friday 17th February 2012. It will reopen at 10am on Monday 20th February 2012. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The Library is open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 5pm, except for Wednesdays when it opens at 10.30am.
Appointments are not necessary, but please read the page on 'Using the Library' for details of how to obtain a reader's ticket.
The Library is closed on public holidays, for ten days at Christmas beginning on Christmas Eve, for ten days at Easter beginning on Good Friday, and exceptionally at other times.
A small bindery, housed in Morton's Tower was established in the 1950s. It was set up to repair books damaged by bombing during the Blitz of 1941, when the Great Hall received a direct hit. With that work completed in the 1990s, the bindery was refitted to archival standards to become a dedicated conservation studio, where trained conservators carry out work on all aspects of our collections, such as binding conservation, the cleaning and repair of archives, manuscripts and printed books and prints.
**E1440.P2 The Whole Psalter Translated into English Metre. Printed by John Daye 1567. Translated by Archbishop Matthew Parker, bound for Archbishop Parker & given by Margaret Parker to the Countess of Shrewsbury (Bess of Hardwick). 195 x 142mm
Click on the image (right) to enlarge.
This fine volume, bound by Parker's own binder has recently been conserved in the Library's conservation studio. Both boards were almost loose of the text block. The pages were cleaned, the spine rebacked in archival calf and the original spine repositioned on top of the new. The corners were repaired with toned Japanese paper. The inner joints strengthened with aero linen and marbled Japanese paper.
The Church of England Record Centre (CERC) is a sister service and home for records of the Church, in particular, its central bodies. Records at CERC show how the organization and activities of the Church of England have evolved since 1704. These are held at Bermondsey. We work alongside Lambeth Palace Library which holds records relating to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
If you would like to consult material, this is possible by appointment. Please contact us to book a table in the Reading Room at the Record Centre.
Opening Hours:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10am-4pm, except public holidays. Details of Easter and Christmas closure will be published on this page.
To book an appointment:
email these to us at archives@churchofengland.org [2].
On your first visit, you must register for a reader's ticket.
To obtain it you need to bring:
· 2 recent passport-style photographs and
· 2 forms of ID - one piece of photo ID and one proof of address from each of these lists:
Photo ID
Proof of Address
Recent Utility Bill (Gas, Electricity, Telephone, Water - less than 3 months old);
Any item appearing on both lists can only be used once.
You can also use this card to access
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.
Cherish or Chuck? The Care of Episcopal Records (published December 2009) is designed to support Bishops' offices and staff in managing the records created in the course of the diocesan, national and other work undertaken by their Bishop.
Save or Delete? Care of Diocesan Records (revised December 2008) is designed to support diocesan offices and staff to manage the mass of information that they create and manage in support of the work of the diocese, enabling them to easily identify what needs to be kept and what can safely be destroyed.
Keep or Bin? The Care of Your Parish Records (revised April 2009) is designed to help clergy and parish officers to understand which records need to be kept by the church, which should be sent to the local archive centre, and which can simply be disposed of as confidential waste.
Guidance notes of clergy files (revised March 2009) provides advice on structure and maintenance of these important records.
These guides have been researched and produced by records and archive management specialists at the Church of England Record Centre, drawing on expert advice from The National Archives, local record offices and the wider archive profession.
By clicking on the links to the right you will be able to download copies of the guides. For those unable to download a copy, paper copies are available by post from the Church of England Record Centre, 15 Galleywall Road, South Bermondsey, London SE16 3PB.
The Library houses books and other material dedicated solely to ecclesiastical architecture, art, design and liturgy and is a unique research tool for readers interested in those areas. As well as over 13,000 books, the collection includes detailed files on 16,000 parish churches, many containing guidebooks, postcards and photographs; copies of the records of the contents of over 1,500 individual churches compiled by the NADFAS Church Recorders; and extensive photographic collections.
It is a shared resource of the Church Buildings Council and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, but the collection is usually open to the public by appointment on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and enquiries are welcomed.
As yet there is no online catalogue to the collection and therefore all enquiries should be directed to the Honorary Librarian.There are no current vacancies, but those that do arise will be advertised here and in the relevant professional press.
Links:
[1] http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=London SE1 7JU&aq=0&sll=51.491912,-0.110636&sspn=0.025064,0.055017&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=London SE1 7JU, United Kingdom&ll=51.496855,-0.120163&spn=0.01253,0.027509&z=15
[2] mailto:archives@churchofengland.org
[3] http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=London SE16 3PB&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=12.083905,28.168945&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=London SE16 3PB, United Kingdom&ll=51.491858,-0.059609&spn=0.012425,0.027509&z=15&iwloc=A
[4] mailto:archives@churchofengland.org
[5] mailto:enquiries.ccb@c-of-e.org.uk