Editing Lambeth Palace (section)

== Gardens ==
[[File:Lambeth Palace Great Hall fig tree.jpg|thumb|The great hall with Cardinal Pole's fig tree in front]]
The [[ficus|fig]] tree in the palace courtyard is possibly grown from a slip taken from one of the ''White Marseille'' fig trees here for centuries (reputedly planted by Cardinal Pole). In 1786,<ref>[[Andrew Ducarel|Andrew Coltee Ducarel]], ''History and Antiquities of the Palace of Lambeth'', 1786 (as ''Biblioteca Topographica Britannica'', vol. II pt 5, 1790)</ref> there were three ancient figs, two "nailed against the wall" and still noted in 1826 as "two uncommonly fine... traditionally reported to have been planted by Cardinal Pole, and fixed against that part of the palace believed to have been founded by him. They are of the white Marseilles sort, and still bear delicious fruit. ...On the south side of the building, in a small private garden, is another tree of the same kind and age."<ref>{{cite book |first=Thomas |last=Allen |title=The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Lambeth, and the Archiepiscopal Palace, in the County of Surrey |location=London |year=1826 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044081209298&seq=7 |page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044081209298&seq=243 229] }}, paraphrasing Ducarel.</ref> By 1882, their place had been taken by several massive offshoots.<ref>"It were a grave omission to pass over unnoticed the 'Lambeth fig-trees.' Two of extraordinary size, supposed to have been planted by Cardinal Pole, formerly stood near the east end of the old garden front: they have long ago died, but three or four thriving offshoots, now grown into venerable trees, may still be seen basking on the sunny side of the Great Hall" (John Cave-Browne, ''Lambeth palace and its associations'', 1882:310); "It was Cardinal Pole who is said to have planted the two fig-trees in Lambeth garden, which were still to be seen in 1806, while slips taken from the original plants are now flourishing trees." (Robert Sangster Rait and Caroline C. Morewood, ''English episcopal palaces (province of Canterbury)'', 1910:74)</ref> The notable orchard of the medieval period has somewhat given way to a mirroring public park adjoining and built-up roads of housing and offices. The palace gardens were [[Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England|listed grade II]] in October 1987.<ref name="NHLE1000818">{{NHLE|num=1000818|desc=Lambeth Palace|grade=II|access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref>