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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