Archbishop's Park

Lambeth Palace has been the London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the 13th-century. The Bishop of Carlisle held adjacent land that was then incorporated into Lambeth Palace. Archibald Campbell Tait became Archbishop in 1869; he was greatly concerned about the welfare of the poor in London, and opened some 9 acres of the palace gardens (being the land formerly owned by the Bishop of Carlisle) for the benefit of the local poor.

That area of land became known as Lambeth Palace Field. It continued to be used by the public after Tait's death in 1882, but without any permanent rights to do so.

A permanent public park was first proposed in 1898 by Lt-Col Charles Ford, a Progressive member of the London County Council (1892-1901).

In 1900 the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association then led a campaign for the permanent and unrestricted opening of Lambeth Palace Field. 

This was successful, and Archbishop's Park was laid out with lawns, a playground and sports fields, surrounded by boundary trees, and was opened in 1901