LAMBETH PALACE 



frightened, hysterical, and under sentence of death, the once 

 brilliant and triumphant Anne stood before the Archbishop, who, 

 in his own words, " had loved her not a little for the love I judged 

 her to bear towards God and his gospel." She made her confession, 

 in hopes perhaps, that, if she did so, her life might be spared, and 

 Cranmer, " sitting judicially, pronounced her marriage with the 

 King null and void." 



The crypt, described as a " certain low chapel beneath his [the 

 Archbishop's] house at Lambeth," is the oldest part of the Palace 

 buildings. Too long perverted to ignoble uses, it has now, by the 

 liberality of the present Primate, Archbishop Davidson, been 

 excavated and restored. On the way to the gardens, which are 

 reached at the river side by a short cut from the outer courtyard, 

 its low, dingy windows, rising but a little above the level of the 

 ground, are still in evidence. Small and square, they look dreary 

 enough, for smoke and time have still further darkened a spot 

 where God's sunshine never seems to penetrate. 



In the days when the Thames washed the foundation of the 

 Water Tower, the river stairs and landing-place to the Palace, were 

 situated at its north-west corner, on a little creek, crossed, it is 

 said, by a wooden bridge. Within the tower itself a short flight 

 of steps still leads from the crypt to the " Post-room" a chamber 

 that forms a stately vestibule to the beautiful chapel. Incident- 

 ally it should be mentioned that the " Post," or pillar, which gives 

 the name to this apartment, is merely a support to the roof, and 

 was never, as is vulgarly supposed, a whipping-place for Lollards. 



On that fatal Wednesday, Anne, a queen no longer, returning 

 from her dread ordeal in the crypt, must necessarily have mounted 

 the stone steps, and crossed the Post-room to reach the doorway, 

 now built up, which led to the landing-place. Here awaited her 

 the boat that was to take her back to the Tower, where, the next 

 day but one, she met her fate. Unhappy Anne Boleyn ! For 

 unhappy she was, whether sorely erring, or merely guilty of most 

 unbecoming and unqueenly levity ! One gladly closes this chapter 

 in Lambeth's chequered history, although there are others scarcely 

 less dark to follow. 



Lambeth Palace has been honoured by many Royal visits, all 

 of which are duly noted in the parish vestry books in the form of 

 fees paid to bellringers. 



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