Visiting Lambeth Palace Garden

There’s a treat for both plant and history lovers this summer. On the first Friday of the month until September, Lambeth Palace – the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury – opens its garden to the public. It’s been continuously cultivated for longer than any other in the country, having been a private garden since the 12^th c. Over the centuries, various incumbents have put their own stamp on it.

One of the first things you see is an enormous fig tree on the left of the entrance to the Great Hall. A White Marseilles variety, it was brought from Italy by Cardinal Pole when he arrived to become Queen Mary’s Archbishop in 1556. It still gives two crops of fruit a year, in July and October; some of this ends up as jam. The tree has also returned to Italy. In 2014, Archbishop Justin Welby visited Pope Francis in Rome and gave him a cutting from the tree as a symbol of the common heritage of the two religions.

The entrance to the garden is to the right of the main building (above). It covers 10 acres and includes a Jewel Border, Rose Arbour and a herb garden (below).

There are also bee hives.....

...a composting area...

...........and many mature trees.

Among them is this Tulip Tree, a species introduced to England by Royal gardener John Tradescant the younger, which was in bloom at the beginning of June.

Fittingly, Tradescant is buried next door in the churchyard of St Mary-at-Lambeth, now the Garden Museum and recently reopened after a major refurbishment.

Visitors to the Palace garden can go on a short guided walk and learn more of its history and future plans. These feature a new garden area designed by Dan Pearson to surround a planned purpose-built library and archive.

This will be at the far end of the garden by the current pond, which is to be enlarged and enhanced. The development should be completed by 2020 and will house the Palace’s collection of precious books and manuscripts. Some of these are currently on display in the Great Hall, which we were able to visit on the open garden afternoon.

Admission to the garden is £5, and refreshments are available in a marquee on the lawn.

http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/pages/visit-the-lambeth-palace-gardens-.html

Lambeth treasure

Finally made it to the Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library exhibition - just in time, as it closes on July 23. Among the fascinating material there: the 12c Lambeth Bible (left), Richard III's Book of Hours, which he left in his tent when he went out to fight and die at the Battle of Bosworth; a letter from Elizabeth I with a post-script about her recovery from smallpox; a copy of the warrant, with Elizabeth's signature, for Mary Queen of Scots' execution; and physicians' daily reports on the mental health of George III.

But before you go into the Great Hall, stop and admire the enormous sprawling white fig tree by the entrance. It was originally planted in 1555 by Cardinal Pole. Lambeth Palace garden - one of the oldest and largest private gardens in London - is open only rarely. But visitors to the exhibition do get a bonus - a discount for the Museum of Garden History at St Mary's Church next door.

Lambeth Palace Library, Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 7JU
http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/