Primate of All England The Archbishop of Canterbury Through Time

Moving exhibition at Lambeth Palace Library looking at the history of the Archbishops of Canterbury.

I say moving as I was there as Sarah Mullally was being enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral. As I was out and about I wasn't able to watch but spotted this show was on when I was in the area. I looked round the show then sat in the corner and watched the news reports coming through on BBC News live.

The show highlighted some of the more intriguing figures mainly with a facsimile of archive material. It would have been nice to see more original pieces but given it was an unmonitored show I can see why this wasn't possible.

A side room had display cases of objects a lot of which seem to have been donated/left behind by Archbishop Davidson. My favourite piece was the order of service for the enthronement of William Temple in 1942 signed by dignitaries who attended given the day.

Closed 4 May 2026