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Morton's Tower
Morton's Tower is the impressive and familiar red brick Tudor gatehouse with two five story battlement towers, which forms the entrance to the modern Palace buildings and grounds. It was built by Cardinal John Morton in around 1490.
Morton's Tower
Morton himself lived in the Tower for a short time and used the large room in the centre of the tower above the larger of the two gates as an audience chamber.
"The Lambeth Dole", a daily offering of bread, broth and money was first instigated by Archbishop Winchelsea in the thirteenth century. This ritual of charitable giving was offered from Morton's Tower until 1842.
The ground floor of the south battlement tower contains a small cell which was briefly used for imprisonment in the 16th century. Two iron rings can still be found fixed to the wall.
When Thomas More joined the staff of Lambeth Palace at the age of twelve to gain an education in the workings of a prominent household he is thought to have lived in the Tower during the course of his stay.
As the main entrance to Lambeth Palace Morton's Tower is staffed daily by a team of gatekeepers. The location of the gatekeepers lodge remains unchanged from when the Tower was built.
Above the gatekeeper's rooms and forming the rest of the Tower are storage and work rooms for the staff of the Lambeth Palace Library. Here are housed a book restoration centre, as well as offices and storage space for some of the libraries 230,000 books, texts and manuscripts.