Croydon Palace

Croydon Palace stands in the Old Town of Croydon, now part of south London. For more than five centuries it served as the summer home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry III and Queen Elizabeth I were among its regular visitors. The surviving buildings, now known as Old Palace, were used by an independent girls' school from 1889 until 2025. The complex has been a Grade I listed building since 1951. The palace began as a manor connected with the archbishop from at least the late Saxon period. Records mention buildings here before 960. A larger palace was needed to house the archbishop’s retinue and guests on journeys between Canterbury and Lambeth Palace. The present buildings date mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries. Archbishop Herring described it in 1754 as “an aggregate of buildings of different ages and castes.” Parts used by the archbishops remain; servants’ quarters were demolished in the 19th century. Visitors find a group of buildings arranged around an irregular quadrangle. The 15th-century Great Hall has a rich 16th-century timber roof and late Gothic windows. West of the hall are the state apartments, including the Guard Room with its arch-braced roof and oriel window. The chapel contains fine 17th-century stalls and an elaborate corner gallery. The exterior is built of stone or red brick with early stone windows or Georgian sash windows. Six archbishops are buried in nearby Croydon Minster.