Enormous Lambeth Palace Library Bookcase Goes on Sale

An original example of the bookcases at Lambeth Palace Library is now available to buy after nearly 200 years service.

Measuring nearly 3m high and 12m long, the pine 12-bay wall-mounted bookcase with adjustable shelves was designed by Edward Blore around 1830, and then later reformatted c.1945. It is currently on sale at reclamation and salvage specialists LASSCO for £24,500.

Lambeth Palace is the London seat of The Archbishop of Canterbury and its library has a long history, given to the nation by Archbishop Richard Bancroft in 1610, with Peter the Great commenting on seeing it in 1698 that: “Nothing in England astonished me as much as Lambeth Library. I had never thought there were so many books in all the world.”

The Library was housed in the Great Banqueting Hall of the palace from 1830, designed by Edward Blore (1787–1879) who was also in charge of the peninsular bookcases in bay along its length. They survived until a bombing raid during WWII hit the building and the bookcases were largely salvaged and reconfigured.

In 2020 Wright & Wright Architects completed a new, awardwinning £24m Library Building at Lambeth Palace which made much of the old shelving redundant. 

Currently on show in the library is Sing Joyfully: Exploring Music, an exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of the production of the Arundel Choirbook, one of only two surviving choirbooks from the reign of Henry VIII and an important source for early English polyphonic music. The volume has been held in the library since the 17th century. The free exhibition runs through November 6. Alongside the choirbook on display are two leaves of 14th century polyphony recently discovered in the binding of an early printed book.