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The Great Hall at Lambeth Palace, London

Background history

Lambeth Palace has been the London residence of Archbishops of Canterbury since the twelfth century. In the early thirteenth century the main structures were the Chapel and the Great Hall both built by Archbishop Stephen Langton. It is likely that in the early fifteenth century the Great Hall was rebuilt, or substantially altered, by Archbishop Chichele. During the Civil War the Palace was confiscated and in the 1650’s the Great Hall was demolished. The Palace at Lambeth became the principal residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury after the Restoration and it was Archbishop Juxon who rebuilt the Great Hall, along mediaeval lines and possibly on the footings of the earlier hall. The three magnificent lead hopper heads, with Juxon’s arms, are dated 1663. The architect of the Great Hall is unknown.

The interior of the Great Hall is depicted within prints of 1806 within the Library’s collection which show showing panelled walls, a tiled floor, a screens passage at the south end and a dais at the north end.

1806 print showing floor, screens passage etc The Great Hall in 1886 after Blore’s alterations

In 1829 Archbishop Howley commissioned the architect Edward Blore to undertake a survey of the Palace. Between 1829 and 1833 major alterations were undertaken, including large scale demolition and rebuilding and with the construction of an imposing new Bath stone building as the residence. The entrance sequence into the Palace was altered and the Great Hall was converted into the Palace Library, the books relocated from the upper cloister. The alterations to accommodate the Library included the removal of the south west door and the screens passage, the removal of the panelling and its replacement with shelving and the introduction of two fireplaces and flues. The entire floor (probably of marble tiles), including the dais, was replaced by a suspended timber floor supported on new sleeper walls with large heating pipes below grilles and powered by a furnace sited in the north-east corner of the adjacent cloister.

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The Great Hall and its contents were damaged in the Second World War, particularly the southern end of the roof and the contents below. Extensive repair works were overseen by architects Seeley and Paget including repairing the roof, replacing the slate finish with clay tiles, repairing the lantern and introducing long asphalt gutters on the east and west sides. All the windows were re-glazed with rectangular leaded lights, some with pivot openers.

Great Hall after War damage Finial in poor condition

At the same time Blore’s timber floor was taken out and replaced by a concrete floor with trenches for heating pipes and finished with cork tiles. A dais was restored to the north end with a timber edge. Blore’s projecting bookcases were all removed, leaving only the cases to the north and south (end) walls. It would seem that after the Lambeth Conference of 1948 new long oak bookcases with a polished finish and in the style of Blore’s, were fitted to the east and west walls and incorporating grilles for fan/convector heaters which were located in the space between the cases and the outer walls.

In 1980’s the flooring was altered again as the lower portion of the floor was infilled, abutting the dais and level with its surface, with insulation and concrete incorporating a wet underfloor heating system fed from new exterior heating ducts to the west lawn. The whole floor was re-finished with cork tiling. The underfloor heating system did not perform well for many years, probably due to its limited area and small pipe diameter. Around four years ago attempts to clear blockages within the system were unsuccessful. Around three years ago a black mould outbreak to a number of the books was exacerbated by the lack of gentle heat, lack of ventilation behind and below the bookcases and rising damp to the walls.

The quinquennial inspections noted concerns about the condition of the asphalt gutters and exterior stonework. A steeplejack survey highlighted decay of timberwork to the lantern and split leadwork and a corroding shaft to the weathervane were also noted.

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The works to the exterior

The repair works will comprise:

• Replace the asphalt gutters with sand cast lead on boarding; • Repair the weathervane; • To take down and rebuild the gable stone finials; • To take off all the lantern leadwork to enable a thorough inspection of the timber

structure; • To overhaul all the windows; • To clean the pollution from the main west frieze and cornice and repair stonework.

Frieze before cleaning trial Frieze after cleaning

West elevation bay one Typical repair drawing

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The works to the interior

• Removal of the entire floor under archaeological watching brief, and its replacement with a new limecrete breathable floor slab with stone tiled finish and including underfloor heating. This work will include new service ducts and the lowering of the main floor area and the reinstatement of the north dais;

• The 1949 bookcases will be adapted to deepen the shelves to ensure that the books sit back from the shelf edge and are thus better protected from possible damage and also damage from light as well as providing a ventilation gap behind the books;

• Replace the defunct electric window blinds; • To rewire the whole of the Great Hall; • Inspect the trusses, clean and repair as necessary.

The lantern Magnificent roof structure

The contract

The works commenced in early November and will complete late summer 2015. Scaffolding is currently being erected externally and internally below the lantern with the aim of a temporary roof being installed prior to Christmas. The contractor is William Anelay of York.

Simon L Ablett DipArch (Dist) Oxford RIBA AABC Consultant Architect to Lambeth Palace