Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library Exhibition:
17 May-23 July 2010
Lambeth Palace Library is one of the earliest public libraries in England, founded in 1610 under the will of Archbishop Richard Bancroft. In celebration of its 400th anniversary in 2010, the Library is opening a fascinating exhibition to the public in the Great Hall of Lambeth Palace.
Tickets can be booked online at www.lambethpalacelibrary.org or using the 24hr booking line: 0871 230 1107. For group bookings call 0844 412 4650.
On selected Saturday afternoons (29 May, 5 June, 19 June, 3 July, 10 July, 17 July), leading experts will highlight some of the treasures on display (talks free to ticket holders). For further details click on the ‘Exhibition talks’ link to the right.
The exhibition draws upon the Library’s incomparably rich and diverse collections of manuscripts, archives and books, some of which will be on display for the first time. It reveals how the collections have developed since 1610 and explores the history surrounding the people who owned, studied or used them as aids to prayer and devotion.
Highlights of the exhibition include:
▸ The MacDurnan Gospels, written and illuminated in Ireland in the 9th century
▸ The Lambeth Bible, masterpiece of Romanesque art
▸ 13th century Lambeth Apocalypse
▸ A Gutenberg Bible printed in 1455, the first great book printed in Western Europe from movable metal type
▸ Books owned and used by King Richard III, King Henry VIII, Queen Katherine of Aragon, Queen Elizabeth I and King Charles I as well as landmark texts in the history of the Church of England
▸ An exceptionally rare edition of the Babylonian Talmud which survived a 1553 Papal Bull ordering all copies to be burnt, which was rediscovered in 1992
▸ The warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots
▸ Papers of archbishops, bishops and leaders of church and state, ranging from the 13th century to the modern day, including papers relating to the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire and physicians’ reports on the illness of King George III.
Opening dates and times
17 May – 23 July 2010
10.00 – 17.00, Monday to Saturday
Last admission 16.30
Closed Saturday 12 June and Saturday 26 June
Admission tickets
£8.00 adults, £7.00 concessions (free audio guide included with admission)
Season ticket (unlimited entry to the exhibition and Saturday talks programme) available only from the exhibition kiosk: £16 adults, £14 concessions, £10 Friends of Lambeth Palace Library.
www.Lambethpalacelibrary.org
The Garden Museum – Special Offer
For a special admission fee of £2.50 (rather than the usual £6.00) visitors to ‘Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library’ exhibition can visit the Garden Museum’s permanent collection, garden and temporary exhibition space, which at this time will be featuring “Christopher Lloyd: A Life at Great Dixter.”
Visitors to the Museum can also enjoy lunch in the Garden Café and browse in the Museum shop. Simply show your Lambeth Palace Library exhibition ticket at the Garden Museum’s front desk to benefit from this exclusive offer.
Garden Museum, located just next door to Lambeth Palace on Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB (closed first Monday of every month).
www.gardenmuseum.org.uk
Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library Exhibition