Visit Lambeth Palace, Lambeth Palace Road, London (2021)

16/07/2021

Bird spotting is one of the easiest ways to appreciate wildlife in your garden and this year we have seen an abundance of birds at Lambeth Palace.

From mallards, herons, blackbirds, and even parakeets, the variety of birds in the garden is impressive, but our latest visitors, a pair of sparrowhawks, definitely steal the show.

These incredible birds have taken up residence in the bell tower adjacent to the gardens at St Thomas' Hospital. The male is smaller than the female but more ‘colourful’ (he is grey
& white, she is brown & white).

The sparrowhawks have taken a few pigeons from our garden and, although not witnessed taking down their prey, their gruesome actions are often discovered the next day by the gardening team and residents..!

#VisitLambethPalace #Wildlife #Birds #Nature #London #WildLondon #LambethPalaceGardens #Sparrowhawk

14/07/2021

Insects (and others) play a crucial role in the foundation of life on our planet and have been here for hundreds of millions of years. Although we may never know how many insect species we have in our Garden, we can safely assume there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different species around us.

Honeybees are social insects, living in large colonies. Since 2016, we’ve had beehives in the Garden. They now live adjacent to Lambeth Palace Road.

Our hives are looked after by the apiarists from Bermondsey Street Bees. Each hive is inspected at least once per month and this increases to every 10 days between May – July. This is to monitor the bees and spot signs of swarming.

The abundance of flowering plants throughout the garden, and species carefully selected to flower throughout spring & summer, have resulted in huge increases to the honey yields. Our honey is available from the gift shop!

#VisitLambethPalace #Wildlife #Insects #Nature #London #WildLondon #LambethPalaceGardens #Bees

12/07/2021

Some of the most notable garden residents are our mammals. Ranging from the humble field mouse through to the (urban) red fox, our wild mammalian residents add observable life to our garden spaces.

An incredibly adorable yet controversial mammal is the grey-haired squirrel: a subspecies of mammal called a rodent. Rodents are mammals with extra-large front teeth, or incisors. They use these teeth for gnawing to get at food and find shelter.

Considered an ‘invasive’ species by the World Conservation Union, grey squirrels can cause considerable damage to our trees and nesting birds. As they also eat bulbs and unripened fruits, they reduce food for our insects and birds.

Saying that, it's easy to forgive their cheeky nature when we spot them exploring or hiding away up the mature trees in Lambeth Palace Gardens.

#VisitLambethPalace #Wildlife #Mammals #Nature #London #WildLondon #LambethPalaceGardens #Squirrels

10/07/2021

This week we begin an in depth look at the incredible nature that can be found in Lambeth Palace Gardens.

Here, we have a beautiful Buff-tailed Bumblebee sipping nectar from a forget-me-not by the bird table.

The Buff-tailed Bumblebee has a short tongue so it favours foraging for pollen in short open flowering plants such as comfrey, lavender and a wide range of crop plants.

Keep an eye-out throughout the week for more features to come..!

#VisitLambethPalace #Wildlife #Insects #Nature #London #WildLondon #LambethPalaceGardens #Bees

08/07/2021

In the corner of the State Drawing Room sits a small portrait of a Tudor Royal.

Described in early Palace guides and inventories as a portrait of Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, a visit by experts from the National Portrait Gallery in 2008 led to a surprise re-identification of the sitter.

The facial likeness and fashion of the headdress led experts to identify the sitter as Queen Katherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII, and daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Following the discovery, further research was conducted alongside restoration to the painting and it's original Tudor frame. The portrait is on loan to the National Portrait Gallery, with a copy on display at the Palace where it was previously hanged.

To learn more about the portrait and it's restoration, visit https://www.npg.org.uk/research/conservation/henry-and-katherine-reunited-conserving-the-portrait-of-katherine-of-aragon

#HistoryofArt #HistoryinPictures #LondonHistory #TudorHistory #LambethHistory #LambethPalace #StateDrawingRoom #VisitLambethPalace

07/07/2021

Yum! It's #WorldChocolateDay 🍰🍫

Here's a photo of some show-stopping deliciously gooey chocolate desserts, ready to be served.

#Chocolate #ChocolateGanache #Patisserie #DessertoftheDay #WorldChocolateDay2021 #LambethPalace #VisitLambethPalace

05/07/2021

In a quiet corner of the Palace, sits one of the more unusual items from Palace history.

On display in the Guard Room is the shell of a tortoise that once belonged to Archbishop William Laud, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to his ex*****on in 1645. The shell is kept beneath the portrait of its master. The painting is based on a portrait by Sir Anthony van Dyck from 1636.

The tortoise is said to have lived to up to 200 years old, spending many of its years in the Palace Gardens.

#LondonHistory #HistoryinPictures #VisitLambethPalace #LambethPalace

04/07/2021

Wishing our followers in the USA a happy #IndependenceDay.⁠
⁠
The magnificent chandeliers of the Guard Room were gifted in the millennium by the Anglican Church in America. They compliment the 14th century English Gothic hammerbeam roof of the Hall wonderfully. ⁠
⁠
#LondonHistory #LambethHistory #HistoryinPictures #VisitLambethPalace #LambethPalace #IndependenceDay2021

01/07/2021

We're looking back to this beautiful spring evening at the Palace in 2019.

The majestic Blore Building looked wonderful lit up for the occasion.

#BehindtheScenes #EventPlanners #EventDesign #LeadingVenues #VisitLambethPalace #LambethPalace

28/06/2021

Wimbledon tennis is back, which marks the start of strawberries & cream season in the UK.

Fresh berries with double cream in the sunshine - delicious!

🍓🍓🍓

#StrawberriesnCream #Strawberries #SummerDessert #SweetTreats #Wimbledon #VisitLambethPalace #LambethPalace

26/06/2021

Tips from the Hospitality Team
-----------------------------------

Looking to host a 3-course dinner but timings looking a little tight? Select a cold starter, like our beetroot cured salmon, with wasabi celeriac remoulade and pickled cucumber salad, and we can pre-lay your starter shortly before the Call to Dinner. Thereby saving on the service time whilst giving your guests the wow factor on entering the dining room.

#DinnerisServed #DinnerIdeas #EventProfs #EventPlanners #LambethPalace #VisitLambethPalace

24/06/2021

This #NationalWritingDay, we acknowledge Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, an Archbishop who served Henry VIII, Edward VI, and, for a short time, Mary I. Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer, which still forms the basis of all our worship in the Anglican Church today.

The Book of Common Prayer was the first prayer book to include the complete forms of service for daily and Sunday worship in English. This followed the English Reformation in which the Church of England was established following the split from Rome and the Catholic Church.

Here we see the galleried room overlooking the altar in the Archbishop’s Chapel, known as Cranmer's Study. This is the room in which we know that Cranmer studied, wrote and prayed. To this day it is still very much the Archbishop’s private sanctuary where he studies, writes and prays.

#VisitLambethPalace #HistoricVenue #HistoricLondon #NationalWritingDay2021 #BookofCommonPrayer

23/06/2021

It's currently #EnglishWineWeek in the UK and we are delighted to serve Nyetimber Classic Cuvée on our wine list. A multi-award winning vintage sparkling white wine from West Sussex and Hampshire.

Our wine list features wines from across the world, alongside non-alcoholic options.

#VenueHire #LeadingVenues #EventPlanner #LondonEvent #LondonVenue #VisitLambethPalace #LambethPalace

21/06/2021

Today is #WorldMusicDay and a little live music is a wonderful addition to events.⁠
We look back to an evening in 2019 when a string quartet played the host's favourite show tunes. They were a big hit with the guests!⁠
⁠
We love to welcome performers as part of events at Lambeth Palace and can offer recommendations for your perfect act. ⁠
⁠
#AcousticMusic #LiveMusic #LambethPalace #VisitLambethPalace #WorldMusicDay2021

20/06/2021

"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows the way" - Anon.

Happy Father's Day from all at Lambeth Palace.

#FathersDay #LambethPalace #VisitLambethPalace

18/06/2021

Today it's International Picnic Day. We're taking a trip down memory lane to this sunny Garden Open Day in 2017. ⁠
⁠
The Garden has some great spots for picnicking on Open Days, whether it's out on the lawns or on a bench for two along the Terrace. ⁠
⁠
#PicnicDay #GardenParty #GardenOpenDay #LambethPalace #VisitLambethPalace

14/06/2021

Today marks the beginning of #HealthyEatingWeek in the UK!

To so many, a nutritious and nourishing diet means cutting out the things you love, but that is simply not the case! At Lambeth Palace, Executive Chef Rob and his team show that healthy eating does not have to be bland.

Here, we share our Chicken Caesar Salad Box, served with
Cos Lettuce, Soft Boiled Egg, a lighter Caesar Dressing, & Focaccia Croutes. This simple dish is quickly becoming a new summer staple at Lambeth... I don't know about you, but we're starting to get hungry for lunch 👀

#BNFHEW21 #VisitLambethPalace #HealthyEating #GoodFood

11/06/2021

We can't wait to get back in the Exhibition Hall for wonderful receptions and dinners at the new Lambeth Palace Library.

Available for evening hire, the Exhibition Hall is a versatile space with a mezzanine level, ideal for a live band.

Our team are on hand to tailor each element of the event from your menu to glassware, flowers and lighting.

#LeadingVenues #DrinksReception #EventPlanner #LondonVenue #LambethPalace

09/06/2021

We are incredibly excited to begin welcoming guests to the Bancroft Room in the newly constructed Lambeth Palace Library.

The Bancroft Room is a bright, inviting space which promises to impress, especially with everything from canapes to three-course meals catered by our fantastic in-house Chefs.

Direct message us or email [email protected] for more information on how you can book this space for your function!

🌸@doversflowers
🍽@optionsgreathire

#VisitLambethPalace #LambethPalaceLibrary #LambethPalace #RooftopLondon #UniqueVenues

07/06/2021

The Terrace of the Bancroft Room at the soon-to-be-opened Lambeth Palace Library has sensational views of the London skyline.

A beautiful space for a reception or pre-dinner welcome drinks.

#LeadingVenues #EventDesign #OutdoorEvents #LondonVenue #LambethPalace #LambethPalaceLibrary

04/06/2021

This #NationalGardenWildlifeWeek, we're celebrating the common toad, a species that many people will be familiar with but have grown increasingly impacted by loss of habitat, particularly the loss of breeding ponds.

We have a long established colony of toads at Lambeth Palace, and they’ve taken full advantage of the new Library pond. We discovered an abundance of toads and toadspawn in March.

In April, we had hundreds of tadpoles around the perimeter of the pond and we’re hopeful the toadlets will emerge in great numbers this June.

#VisitLambethPalace #GardenWildlife #Nature #LondonWildlife #LambethPalace