Lambeth Palace Library

The National Library and Archive
of the Church of England

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Library Catalogues
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Library Collections

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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 have been helping the Library to flourish since 1964. We support the acquisition of books, manuscripts and archives; cataloguing, conservation and digitisation of the collections; and exhibitions, education and research. Friends enjoy lectures, behind the scenes tours, exhibitions, and events in the Library and Lambeth 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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Newsletter

Sign up here to receive updates about Library events and talks, as well as the newsletter which contains Library news and information on acquisitions, cataloguing projects and conservation work. By completing the sign-up form you agree to share your e-mail address with the site owner and MailChimp. You will only receive the emails you have signed up for. You may unsubscribe at any time.

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.