Lambeth Palace houses the Archbishop of Canterbury and stands just across the River Thames from Big Ben.

Opened in 1435, it’s not like a lot of old palaces in London in that it’s not always open to the public and visitors must check and plan ahead for days tours are running.

Its prison is one of the oldest sections of the building, built in the 15 century, and you can still see initials carved into the wood by its inmates despite burns sustained during in The Blitz.

But how when can you actually see this all for yourself and just what makes Lambeth Palace such an important landmark?

When can you go?

While it’s not open every day, guided tours are run regularly and tickets are sold on Ticketmaster, where available tour dates will be shown.

The North Lambeth Parish Fete is the other option. This has been running since Queen Victoria’s reign and is always on the last Saturday in June.

It’s one day in the year you really get to the Palace grounds come to life.

Who is the Archbishop of Canterbury?

The current archbishop is Justin Welby and he is the leader of the Church of England.

This has been the case for 800 years. Before this time, the archbishop lived in Kent.

Lambeth Palace is a very old building

What can you see inside the palace?

Morton Tower is the impressive red-brick Tudor gatehouse and entrance to the palace grounds. Once you’re in, you can look through Crypt Chapel, the oldest part of the palace.

It was originally used as a place to store wine and beer but it was turned into a chapel when the main chapel was destroyed during World War 2.

The Guard Room is said to have been for the archbishop’s own private army, which used this space to store weapons. It has since been used mainly for functions and meetings.

The Great Hall, Atrium, Drawing Room and Lollard’s Prison compete the tour, which also includes a low-down on a huge Marseille fig tree.

This tree was brought by the last Roman Catholic Archbishop in 1556 and still bears fruit each Autumn.