Lambeth Palace Library

The National Library and Archive
of the Church of England

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Library Collections

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Upcoming Events

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Current Exhibition

Sing Joyfully

Exploring Music in Lambeth Palace Library
31 July – 6 November 2025
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About

Librarian carrying tottering pile of books in the Great Hall, Lambeth Palace Library
Our vision & mission, a brief history of the Library, and a tour of our new building.
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Using the Library

Saint John writing the Apocalypse on Patmos with an angel whispering in his ear over his shoulder.
How to register as a reader, book an appointment, and find us.
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Collections

Shepherds watch the sheep while angels above announce the birth of Jesus.
Catalogues, guides, and information about individual collections.
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Support our Work

Help make the work of the library possible. Your generosity is vital in helping us to care for nationally significant collections, manuscripts and rare books. With your support the conservation, cataloguing, and digitisation of this important collection can continue to be undertaken, preserving the treasures of the past for future generations and ensuring they remain free and accessible to all. 


The Friends of the Library

The Friends of Lambeth Palace Library (registered charity no. 313023) was founded in 1964 to support the Library. It provides invaluable assistance in the acquisition of rare books and manuscripts and in the conservation of the collections, helping the Library to develop and flourish. Friends receive regular invitations to lectures, behind the scenes tours, exhibitions and events in the Library and Palace.

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Services

Guillaume de Deguileville seated with an open book on the desk before him which is kept open by strings and weights.
Imaging services, exhibition loans, and self-service photography for the public.
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Collections Care

Photo of men carrying straw into a church
The new Collections Care studio is at the heart of the Library’s design and is central to its mission.
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Services to the wider Church

The Operations team provide internal records storage and retrieval services for NCI staff and respond to diocesan enquiries.
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The Library Blog – A Monument of Fame

Our blog is so named because James I famously called Lambeth Palace Library “a monument of fame in my kingdom”. The blog contains posts about important books, manuscripts and archives from the collections and the stories behind them, as well as news about Library developments.

Detail of an illuminated letter B containing a Tree of Jesse. At the centre we see the Virgin and Child.