Based on our sinful life choices, one would think that upon entering Lambeth Palace Observer staff would have been struck down with a mighty bolt of lightening send from the Lord above. You’ll be glad to know that we survived the experience and we’re here to tell you what we saw, and what you too can experience if you act quickly.
The gardens of Lambeth Palace Gardens are open annually (but not this year) for the North Lambeth Fete but the Palace itself is rarely open to the public, so when we saw it was opening for three days only we jumped on it quicker than a kid on a stolen Lime bike. The self guided tour is augmented by helpful staff in each room, with the first substantive space being the State Drawing Room. It’s a bit like what your gran’s lounge what look like if she was very posh. Next to it is the petite dining room with some beautiful place settings. And if you’re a fan of paintings of dead white men who all look disturbingly the same you’re in luck, because as you walk down the corridors they’re everywhere.
One underappreciated element of Lambeth Palace is that it is a testament to restoration. This is noted chiefly in the Chapel, which suffered a direct hit during a bombing raid in 1942. The chapel has been painstakingly recreated, with murals on the ceiling created in 1988. Other rooms of note are the Guard Room with it’s amazing hammerbeam ceiling, and the massive, eerily empty library with was also mostly destroyed in WWII. At the end of the tour you’re invited to enter the Crypt. While we love nothing more than a relic or a disembodied skull, sadly it’s just a vacant space. Also in these rooms you’ll find mitres, giant rings, stoles, vestments, and all the other camp stuff that Bishops put on. At the end of our tour we encountered a charming little marquee selling scones, cakes and tea and coffee.
Lambeth Palace is open for one more day on 29 August and the cost is £10, with all the proceeds going to The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust. The website says that the event is sold out, but our sleuthing team of researchers have spoken to the Trust and we we’ve informed that there are tickets on the day. 29 August is unfortunately a school day so you’ll need to work from home. If that isn’t possible, dramatically pass out in the office and tell your boss that in order to recuperate you’ll need to stroke your cat for a few hours.
