Lambeth Palace Library

Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury and preserves the national archives of the Church of England. Our mission is to promote public access to our collection by welcoming researchers and through public engagement, such as outreach and cultural and academic partnerships. Its collections have been freely available for research from 1610, when it was founded under the will of Archbishop Richard Bancroft. In 1953, the Library was redefined as the main special library for the history of the Church of England, with additional responsibilities as a repository and research centre for Church of England archives. In 1996 it also took into its care the substantial pre-1850 manuscript and printed collections of Sion College library (founded 1629), the historic library of the City of London clergy. Lambeth Palace Library’s move to a purpose-built new building, which opened in 2021, has provided the opportunity to unite its archival collections with those of the former Church of England Record Centre and will ensure that all the Library’s collections are preserved in the best conditions and made more widely available in the future.