St Mary-at-Lambeth Church and Tower

Standing beside Lambeth Palace is all that remains of St Mary-at-Lambeth church. Or, more correctly, its tower.

There has been a church on this site since before 1086, while Lambeth Palace opened in 1435.

In 1851 the church was demolished, with the exception of the tower, and rebuilt, so that more seats could be added. This Middle Ages inspired building remained in use until 1972. 

At the base of the tower, is an immersion font. Archbishop of Canterbury Edward Benson (1883-1896) appointed his close friend John Reeve as the Rector of St Mary's, in 1894. Reeve commissioned this font in Benson's memory. It is one of only two known examples of an immersion font to be found in an Anglican church.

The tower is still accessible to visitors who, for a small fee, can climb the 131 steps to the roof of the tower.

The viewing area allows for a 360° panoramic view over London. This includes the River Thames, the Palace of Westminster, Lambeth Palace, the South Bank, the City of London, The Shard, Canary Wharf and more.

The Howard family, who lived opposite the church in Norfolk House, used St Mary's as their chapel. They were a powerful family, most famous among them being Katherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII.

Many famous people have been buried here, including Archbishops of Canterbury, William Bligh, John Tradescant and his family, Ann Boleyn's mother and many more.

It is the oldest structure in Lambeth, except for the crypt of Lambeth Palace itself, with its burials and monuments being a record of over 950 years of the community

Timeline

1086 - The Domesday Book records a church dedicated to St Mary standing on this site, and a village of 79 households, meadows, and plough-land.

1200 - On land adjacent, a Palace was built as the London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury.

1378 - The wooden church was rebuilt in stone. The interior was enriched with the tombs of members of the Archbishop's household, and gifts of furniture and ornaments.

1620 - John Tradescant, and his son John, came to live in the parish.

1633 - The grandson of John Tradescant the Elder was baptised at St Mary's.

1647 - The artist Wenceslaus Hollar climbed the Tower to draw the view of London. There was still no bridge, and a ferry crossed to a landing stage outside the doors of the church.

1790 - At the age of 15 the painter J M W Turner made his debut at the Royal Academy when he exhibited a watercolour of Lambeth Palace and the church tower.

1814 - The churchyard was full and extended. Fields and the riverbank became factories, and St Mary's was surrounded by industrial slums.

1851 - The church, except for the tower, was demolished and rebuilt in order to make more seats for the poor. The new work was designed in the style of the Middle Ages.

1854 - The churchyard is closed, with an estimated 26,000 burials having taken place.

1972 - The congregation moved to a modern building which better suited their needs. The old church was declared redundant, deconsecrated, and its interior emptied in readiness for demolition.

1974 - Rosemary Nicholson visited to see the tomb of John Tradescant, her gardening hero, and determined to rescue the church.

1977 - The world's first museum of garden history opened.