The traveling exhibition “Mariners: Religion, Race and Empire” is now being hosted at the Lambeth Palace Library (at 15 Lambeth Palace Road) in London until September 11, 2026. Using historic material from the archives, this exhibition explores encounters between clergy and sailors, the complex connections between trade, empire and religion, and the challenges and dangers of maritime life.

Description: In collaboration with the University of Bristol, this exhibition explores seafaring, missions to seamen, and how maritime activity shaped trade, empire and life in London.

Lambeth Palace Library – the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury and archive of the Church of England – preserves records that reveal the Church’s varied relationships with seafaring communities.

Existing outside the established system of parish-based pastoral care, mariners posed a challenge to the traditional methods of mission work. Alongside other Christian denominations, the Church of England adapted its forms of ministry to serve new communities both on shore, waterways and at sea.

Building on the University of Bristol’s travelling exhibition, this display explores encounters between clergy and sailors, the complex connections between trade, empire and religion, and the challenges and dangers of maritime life through records from Lambeth Palace Library’s collections.

For more information, see https://www.lambethpalacelibrary.info/mariners-religion-race-and-empire/ and https://southbank.london/whats-on/mariners-religion-race-and-empire