Wright & Wright Architects reveals Lambeth Palace library proposals
Wright & Wright Architects has unveiled its designs for a new library at Lambeth Palace to house one of the world’s most important religious collections
The Church Commissioners for England selected the practice for the high-profile job last December, ahead of big names including Zaha Hadid Architects.
The new library in the grounds of the Grade I-listed landmark – the historic London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury – will house the second-largest religious collection in Europe after the Vatican’s, with records stretching back to the ninth century.
The contemporary brick building with its eight-storey tower will provide ‘state-of-the-art’ archive facilities for the conservation and storage of the unique collection of historic manuscripts and books.
The present Lambeth Palace Library holds about 200,000 printed books, 30,000 of which date from before 1700; more than 5,000 manuscripts, 600 of which are medieval; and the records of past Archbishops of Canterbury.
Clare Wright, partner at Wright & Wright Architects, said: ‘The commission to design a building of such resonance, emblematic of the historic relationship between church and state, and sited in the garden of Lambeth Palace, is a dream come true. We are deeply honoured and delighted to be working on this at the peak of our careers.’
The designs for the new building will go on public display from Thursday 8 September at an exhibition in the Great Hall at Lambeth Palace.
Following the public consultation, a planning application for the library is expected to be submitted to Lambeth Council in early 2017.