Lambeth Palace Library

Welcome

The Church Commissioners are delighted to welcome you to this public exhibition which showcases our plans for a new Library building at Lambeth Palace.

Lambeth Palace Grounds

We hope that the new library will become a landmark public building in Lambeth and will increase the accessibility of this world class collection, one of the first public libraries in England.

This exhibition is your chance to view our plans which have been developed over many months in consultation with local planners and Historic England.

Before we submit a detailed planning application to Lambeth Council, we want to hear your views about this important new building.

Members of the development team are on hand to discuss the plans with you and answer any questions you may have. From the Archive – Elizabeth I Prayer Book

We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment to share your thoughts on our plans using one of our feedback forms or by visiting our website.

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Team

The design team for this important and prominent new public building were chosen following a design competition which involved some of the leading architectural practices working today.

A panel of judges, including the leading architecture critic Rowan Moore, were delighted to award the design brief for the building to Wright & Wright Architects, who have exceptional experience of delivering sensitive buildings in a historic setting. They are supported by leading engineers Max Fordham and Price and Myers, cost consultant Fanshawe LLP, and Stuart A. Johnson Consulting Ltd.

Wright & Wright Architects was founded in 1994 by Sandy and Clare Wright. The Practice has been chosen to design buildings for organisations as distinguished as RIBA, the Architectural Association and the Royal College of Art. Although experienced in a range of sectors, they have particular expertise in Archives and Libraries.

Wright & Wright past project - Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Wright & Wright past project – National Gallery, London

Landscape Architects

Dan Pearson Studio - Established in 1987 by Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winning landscape designer Dan Pearson. They have collaborated with architects on a wide range of projects to deliver public parks, civic landscapes and large rural estates.

DP Studios – Millennium Forest, Japan DP Studios – Private project

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Historic Collection

Lambeth Palace Library contains an unrivalled collection of precious books and manuscripts that have contributed to the ecclesiastical and cultural life of the Church and the nation for centuries.

Part of the collection inside Lambeth Palace Great Hall

The collection has been housed at For some years, the Church Lambeth Palace since 1610 when Commissioners have been exploring Archbishop Bancroft bequeathed to possible solutions to the challenge of his successors his private collection preserving the collection for future of books and manuscripts as a public generations and have produced library, one of the first in England. a scheme to re-house it in a new purpose-built Library within the palace grounds, keeping the collections on the site that they have been on since the library was founded.

Example of the collection’s documentation The Lambeth Bible

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Buildings

The Grade I listed Palace boasts exemplary architecture from the Tudor period with later additions from the 1600s and 1800s. Much of the vast library is currently housed across 20 different rooms in the medieval buildings of the Palace – the Great Hall and Morton’s Tower – as well as a warehouse in Bermondsey.

Storage at capacity inside 15th Morton’s Tower Century Morton’s Tower

As the library continues to grow, the The decision to re-house the Palace can no longer properly protect the collection in a new purpose built library collection’s fragile artefacts from modern within the grounds of Lambeth Palace, air pollutants. The Grade 1 Listed not only ensures the future of these buildings of the Palace cannot be further historical records, but also preserves adapted to meet the current standards and enhances the symbolic physical for libraries and archives without link between Church and State, as it damaging them. Many of the buildings stands directly across the River Thames, have already suffered minor structural affording views of both the Palace of damage as a result of having to store such Westminster and Lambeth Palace. a large and valuable collection.

Part of the collection at Bermondsey

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Site: 1000 Years of History

Situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite the Palace of Westminster, Lambeth Palace has been the London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the 13th Century – playing a central role in the relationship between Church and State.

C12-13: Archbishop C14-15: Construction C16: The end of C17: Lambeth Palace Baldwin begins work of Lollard’s Tower C16 would see Garden begins to on a new church east and Morton’s Tower Archbishop Bancroft take shape and of Rochester Place open the established the Great Hall Library to the public is substantially in 1610 demolished

The oldest part of the building is the late 12th Century Crypt Chapel and over the centuries the buildings and gardens have been added to, damaged and modernised resulting in what we see today.

The site, which is bounded by Lambeth Palace Road to the west and Lambeth C18: The walled C19: The Blore Road to the south, has seen no significant Kitchen Garden is Building is created additions for around 180 years, whereas created to the north and the Library is the gardens were significantly redesigned of the site and later moved to the Great during the 1980s under the guidance relocated to create a Hall. Beyond the pleasure garden grounds the Albert of the wife of the then Archbishop, Embankment is built Mrs Runcie. up along the Thames

The new library and archive marks the next step of the development of the rich tapestry of the palace’s history.

C20: World War 2 brings significant destruction C21: Lambeth Palace with proposed new to Lambeth Palace which saw much restoration library and archive added with enhanced work thereafter pond and garden

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Proposals: Delivering a New Library and Archive

The Church Commissioners propose to build a new library and archive at the northern end of Lambeth Palace Gardens.

Approaching the New Library from the south of Approaching the New Library from the north of Lambeth Palace Road Lambeth Palace Road

Directly across the road from the site are The new library is physically linked the tall buildings of St Thomas’s Hospital, to Lambeth Palace by the historic including the prominent Evelina boundary wall, emerging both physically Children’s Hospital which currently and symbolically out of the collection of overlooks the Palace gardens. existing buildings.

Carefully located on the edge of Much of the building is only single the gardens so as to minimise storey but gradually rises to be crowned disruption to the existing landscape, by a small 8-storey tower, mirroring the building is intended to form a those of the Palace and establishing the protective barrier between the busy building as a contemporary landmark street and the Archbishop’s garden, on the South Bank. a rare haven of peace and tranquility within central London.

2

3

KEY: 1 Morton’s Tower 2 New Library and Archive 3 Lambeth Palace Road

1

Lambeth Palace new Library and Archive site plan www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Proposals: Inside the Library

There are many technical challenges to creating a library building capable of protecting the delicate contents of the archives from changing humidity, air pollution and flood risk. From the outset however we have sought to create a building that places paramount importance on the quality of materials and architecture, reflecting the grandeur and status of the library collection.

Reading Room

The building will provide space The 8-storey tower element of the for future growth of the collection, building enables us to elevate the entire including modern reading room collection above the level of flood risk facilities, conservation studio, staff as well as avoiding the need to dig down workplaces and display space. The for a basement. building will also including a viewing platform for visitors.

Library entrance hall Tower room view www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

The Proposals: Landscape Design

The Archbishop’s garden is greatly valued by those who live and work at the Palace. With many distinct features, from formal areas and an open lawn to wilder enclaves, the garden has evolved over centuries.

KEY: 1. Existing pond location 2. Path for maintenance 3. Cluster of multi-stem Alders Pedestrian 11 4. Wetland habitat with marginals and reeds Access 5. New curved brick wall seat forms pond edge 16 6. New curved path with brick edge Service Proposed Access building 7. Bishop’s stone plinth 3 6 8. Wildflower meadow planting in glade 1 9. Proposed woodland edge habitat 2 4 10.  Relocation of bee hives within perennial planting 8 11. Existing large tree retained 5 7 12.  Filtered views of new building through trees 11 13. Path realigned and re-surfaced 11 14.  Native woodland character enhanced and extended 10 15. Relocated memorial Beech tree 11 9 14 16. Seating space for wildlife education

13 15

Dan Pearson Studio Landscape Masterplan

During the late 1980s, Rosalind Runcie, The brief to our landscape architects, the wife of the then Archbishop of Dan Pearson Studio, was to create a Canterbury, implemented a successful design which builds on the garden’s plan of planting and restoration history and introduces religiously following decades of neglect after heavy symbolic planting. bombing during WW2. Those changes created the garden we see today and The footprint of the library building made the grounds significantly more has been kept to the absolute minimum accessible. However they did result in with much of it pulled back to the the downgrading of the Listed status of boundary wall. This allows us to the gardens with the removal of much of enlarge the existing pond and to the historic layout and the creation of a introduce new planting, particularly new pond. of mature trees which help soften the outline of the building and create a sense of peace and seclusion.

The garden before the restoration work carried Proposed view of Lambeth Palace garden out by Rosalind Runcie, early 1980s and pond

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

Sustainability

Commissioning the new library on such a sensitive site presents a great opportunity to create a building of exemplary green standards, both in its construction and future operation.

KEY: 1 Solar Panels 2 Boreholes to river-gravel terrace 3 High levels of thermal insulation

Front elevation of new library showing sustainability measures

The sustainability strategy has considered environmental, economic, social and cultural issues. Some of the features incorporated include: • Targeting BREEAM Excellent • Building materials will be responsibly certification sourced • Targeting an exemplary ‘Considerate • The brick façade results in less Constructors’ score of 40 or higher; environmental impact over the • Early consideration of building building’s lifetime. The green guide management and aftercare support to usually rates brick façades on framing ensure that it is energy efficient systems as A+ • Targeting a large reduction (at least • The ecology of the site will be either 25%) of energy and carbon emissions protected, transplanted or enhanced with the use of heat pumps and solar through new landscaping photovoltaic panels on the roof, as • The pond will harvest the run-off well as primarily passive control of the water from the rooftops. The pond archives themselves will act to attenuate and filter water • Well connected site designed to support through planting within the pond, walking and cycling, and sited near before it enters the public drainage several amenities and public transport system at a slower rate links, it will add no new parking (except • The building is designed to cope with blue badge parking) future climate conditions • Reducing water use by at least 25% by using water efficient toilets, hand basins etc

KEY: 3 High levels of thermal insulation 4 Natural tree screening level 5 Maximising daylight 6 Enhanced biodiversity 7 Pond 8 Sealed Archives

Side elevation of new library showing sustainability measures www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

Ecology and Archaeology

As part of the technical studies preceding the building of the library, Museum of London archaeologists will be conducting further digs on the area proposed for development. This will allow the contents of the site to be properly recorded and catalogued before construction begins.

Archaeological works taking place within the Lead weights were found in 2012, within the grounds of Lambeth Palace footprint of an Anglo-Saxon hut

The Kestrel – one of many species that have Beehives at Lambeth Palace made the grounds of Lambeth Palace their home

Although there are no endangered Those trees will now be removed during species on the site, the garden is home the construction of the library, allowing to a wide variety of plants, birds and us to implement a planned programme insects which are greatly valued and of long-term tree management. nurtured by the garden staff. Our development plans include careful Wherever possible, any trees removed ecological surveying of species in the will be recycled, with timber used to garden, as well as plans to retain the create furniture and sculpture for the much loved beehives on the site. Palace as well as being used as compost and wood chippings for the gardens. As part of the ongoing management strategy of the garden, plans had already been made for the removal of a small number of mature chestnut trees which have unfortunately become irreparably damaged by Bleeding Canker.

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

Key Benefits

We hope that this new library will do more than simply create a building to protect and preserve our books and archives.

New Lambeth Palace Library entrance

As well as preserving one of this nation’s The space created in the existing Palace greatest collections of historic books and buildings, as well as in the new library, archives the new library building will will also allow greater freedom for the allow us to fully realise the aspirations of Church to generate commercial income Archbishop Bancroft in 1610 to create a by hosting events, helping to support truly accessible public library. the continuing maintenance and development of the site. Our aspiration is that the new building will become a destination in itself, We also hope that the library will help sitting at the most westerly end of the allow greater access to the site through South Bank, alongside the Garden the provision of a new viewing platform Museum, as part of Lambeth’s wider that will be regularly open to the public. cultural offering. Most importantly the library will finally By removing the library from its current give us the facilities to engage with a far inappropriate home in the historic wider audience than we are able to now; Lambeth Palace buildings, it will allow making the collections more accessible us not only to repair the damage done than ever before, while protecting and to those buildings but also to open them preserving it for future generations. up to much greater public use in future.

View of the new library from Lambeth Palace 1st floor View from Lambeth Palace Road conference room www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk Lambeth Palace Library

Next Steps

Thank you for visiting. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a short time to complete a feedback form before you leave.

New Lambeth Palace Library and garden

You can also complete the feedback form online at our website or take a Timeline form away with you. 2016 Design At present we hope to submit a detailed planning application to Lambeth Early Planning application Council at the beginning of 2017. 2017

The Church Commissioners and all of 2018- Construction period our advisers are committed to working 2020 with the local community and will continue to keep the community up to 2020 Occupation and opening date on our plans.

Contact us: For more information on the new Lambeth Palace Library and Archive, get in contact with us at: E: [email protected] T: 020 7871 3565 W: www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk

www.newlambethpalacelibrary.co.uk