The official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury since 1197 and located at Lambeth Palace Road, London, SE1 7JU. It is the last survivor of the great London seats of the Bishops that once stretched along the south bank of the Thames. (At one time the Palace itself was closer to the water and the Archbishops came and went by means of an archiepiscopal barge.)
The oldest surviving parts of the Palace are the thirteenth century Crypt and Chapel (although the later was badly damaged in the war and is now greatly restored) which remains in daily use as a place of prayer and worship. The Great Hall, which was rebuilt in the seventeenth century after being ravaged under Cromwell, houses Lambeth Palace library, the first public library in England and the principal library and record office for the history of the Church of England.
The Archbishop’s actual residence is located in the Victorian Gothic east wing designed by Edward Blore which also features the main public rooms where official receptions are held.