Lambeth Palace is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official residence. The first buildings on the site were constructed around 1200. The eastern end of the grounds were opened to the local poor in the 19th century and officially became Archbishop’s Park in 1901. The Palace gardens are formal gardens, landscaped by John Nash. They include a Chinese garden, a herb garden, a wild garden and a terraced rose garden. Lambeth Palace Gardens are not normally open to the public, but they do have an increasing number of public events and open days, where the public are admitted. Access outside these occasions is by permission of the Lambeth Palace Office. Archbishop’s Park is a public park, owned and managed by Lambeth Council to which there is full access.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Lambeth Palace Gardens, Garden Museum & St Mary's Churchyard
Borough: Lambeth
Grade: Borough
Access: Access at limited times (Lambeth Palace Gardens and Museum of Garden History) and free public access (all/most of site) (St. Mary's Churchyard)
Area: 4.38 ha
Description
Wildlife
The wild garden in Lambeth Palace Gardens lies at the northern end furthest from the Palace, and incorporates a pond with a dipping platform. The pond has been planted with a rich variety of water plants. These include lesser reedmace, reed canary-grass, lesser pond-sedge and meadowsweet. White water-lily, arrowhead and water-soldier grow in the water. Wildflower borders have been planted near the pond. The gardens have several dense shrubberies, which support a range of birds including thrushes, blackbirds, wrens, dunnocks, greenfinches and jays. Goldfinches and garden warblers can also be seen. Archbishop's Park offers less in terms of useful wildlife habitat, with much of its area hard-surface games pitches. However, recent renovation of the park has seen the introduction of new shrub and bedding areas at the southern end, designed to encourage wildlife. Birds from the Palace Gardens can be seen feeding here. There are avenues of mature plane, beech, lime and horse-chestnut above borders of exotic shrubs.Facilities
Playground (Archbishop's Park); historic features
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