Lambeth Palace

building, London, United Kingdom

Lambeth Palace, formerly Lambeth House, , official London residence of

the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury and until 1978 the site of the Lambeth
Conference, an episcopal assembly that is called about once every 10 years (the
conference now meets at Canterbury).

About 1200 the first sections of the palace were built. The Lollards’ Tower, a
former water tower, dates to the 1430s, and the fine Tudor gatehouse was
completed by the early 16th century. Many of the buildings, including the
residence proper, the 14th-century Guard Room, and the church of St. Mary-
at-Lambeth (now a garden museum), were built or restored in the 19th
century. The palace was a focal point for protests in the Middle Ages and later;
in 1381 it was sacked during the Peasants’ Revolt. Air raids wrought damage
on the complex during World War II, and extensive repairs were carried out
afterward, with some sections being nearly completely redesigned. Stretching
out to the northeast of the palace are the public grounds of Archbishop’s Park.