When visitors speak of Gladstone’s Library they are often referring to the Reading Rooms – our beautiful silent spaces that house over 150,000 books and archival materials, but this is just one aspect of the Library.
When William Gladstone first imagined this place, he saw it as a whole – a place where people could read and research, but also where they could stay – a place that would nourish mind, body and spirit and it is that vision that we seek to preserve and develop.
The Library is the whole place – the bedrooms, the restaurant, the lounge, the meeting rooms, the Chapel, the gardens and of course the Reading Rooms. It is a place to engage with for an hour, a day or longer.
Connecting Thinkers, Readers, and Writers
Open to the public seven days a week, for fifty weeks of the year, with an evolving programme of courses and events the priority is to build and nurture a wide network of thinkers, readers writers and conversationalists in order to maintain Gladstone’s legacy of engagement with social, moral and spiritual questions, helping people reflect more deeply on issues and ideas that concern them.
Our Charitable Aims Are:
The advancement of education for the public benefit by the maintenance and development of the Gladstone’s Library collections, the encouragement of research, writing and debate on Gladstone’s core subjects: theology and spirituality, history, current affairs, and contemporary and classical literary culture.
The promotion of religion and education and the promotion of divine learning in connection with the Church of England and the Church in Wales as historical branches of the Catholic Church and in conformity to the living spirit of the Church of England and the Church in Wales.
Contact & Find Us
Tel: +44 (0)1244 532350
Email: [email protected]
Staying at Gladstone’s Library
Our 26 quirky comfortable bedrooms have a simple fresh look and feel to them and are a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life and routine.
Our Reading Rooms
Our Reading Rooms are a rare commodity: a silent library.
Whatever you’re working on and however you like to work, you will find a space to suit you here. Not working? You can read, ponder, dream, sketch, revise, draft, think…
Food For Thought
Our cosy restaurant seats up to 40 people in a relaxing setting. We operate table service, so please introduce yourself when you enter Food for Thought.
