Lambeth Palace

Lambeth Palace serves as the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and has occupied this spot on the banks of the Thames for eight centuries. Its presence here was established to place the leader of the Church of England in close, strategic proximity to the royal seat of power at Westminster, located directly across the river. While the estate dates back to the late twelfth century, the imposing red brick gatehouse you see at the entrance was added by Cardinal John Morton in the fourteen nineties. This structure was designed not just as a grand gateway, but as a functional space that included an audience chamber and even a ground-floor prison. The palace grounds hold deep layers of history, from early medieval foundations that survived centuries of political upheaval to the twentieth-century restorations following severe damage during the Second World War.