Addington Palace

Originally built in the 16th century, Addington Palace on the outskirts of Croydon was later changed into a three-storey Palladian[?]-style country mansion with single-storey wings and a splendid Great Hall. It is surrounded by park landscapes and golfcourses, and its gardens are still in their original design as planned by Lancelot "Capability" Brown.

After an Act of Parliament in 1807 enabled the mansion to be purchased for the Archbishops of Canterbury, it became the official residence of six Archbishops:

• Charles Manners-Sutton from 1805,
• Willam Howley[?] from 1828,
• John Bird Sumner from 1848,
• Charles Thomas Longley from 1862,
• Archibald Campbell Tait from 1868.
• Edward White Benson from 1883.

Most of the Archbishops are buried in St Mary's Church in Addington.

In World War One the house was taken over by the Red Cross and became a fever hospital.
In 1953, it was leased to the Royal School of Church Music[?] until 1996, when a private company took it over for development for public use.

External link:

• Friends of Addington Palace (http://www.friendsofoldpalace.org/addpalace.htm)