Welcome to Gladstone’s Library, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet our dedicated team of staff who are passionate about working together to ensure an enriching and welcoming experience.
Adrian
Head Housekeeper
Adrian is the head of Housekeeping at Gladstone’s Library. He has been in housekeeping for seven years and joined Gladstone’s Library in 2022. He enjoys getting to know our regular guests and takes pride in keeping our bedrooms to a high standard. His ambition is to buy a 4×4 and explore beauty spots around the country.
Alexandra
Archivist
Alexandra Foulds is the Archivist at Gladstone’s Library. As well as her ARA-accredited Masters in archives she has a PhD in nineteenth-century literature and culture, both from the University of Glasgow, and she is fascinated by all things Victorian.
Alexandra’s favourite thing about working at the library is meeting the researchers who use our collections. You can find Alexandra in library services in the annex or in the Muniments Room helping to make our archives collections accessible to the public.
Alice
Engagement and Learning Officer
Alice is one of two Engagement and Learning Officers at Gladstone’s Library. Alice has a BA Hons in History and Politics and conducted her MA Politics dissertation on Citizenship Education in England and Wales and its impact on young people. She is an advocate for political education.
Alice is excited to combine her passion for history, politics and youth engagement in this role. The role will allow more young people to engage with the collections and understand the relevance to their lives. Alice is also a Rainbow and Brownie leader with Girlguiding Cymru and in her spare time enjoys baking and listening to history podcasts.
Alison
Restaurant Team Member
Alison is well known for her infectious laugh and her ability to get on with customers and with her team members. You might spot her in Food for Thought during bustling breakfasts and if you pop in for a mid-morning cup of tea and snack.
Andrea
Warden
Andrea Russell is Warden of Gladstone’s Library, taking up the role in October 2022. For the past 10 years she has been involved in theological education and comes to Hawarden from Oxford Diocese where she was Director of Formation for Ministry.
There, she oversaw the provision of training and continued learning for both clergy and licensed lay ministers. She has a legal background, having worked initially as a solicitor before moving into theology. Her PhD focussed on Richard Hooker, a key figure in the Church of England in the 16th Century and even though the title of his book doesn’t at first sight appear to be all that riveting (The Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity) she assures us that it really is an exciting read! She loves reading crime novels and being by the sea.
Caroline
Reception Supervisor
Caroline is on the Reception team at the library. She has worked here for five years, returning after the library re-opened following the 2020-2021 lockdowns. She says she loves the variety of working on reception: ‘No day is the same. I feel incredibly proud to work in this gorgeous building.”
Her duties include booking residential guests in and out, responding to phone and internet enquiries and helping guests make the most of their visit. Caroline is studying an English Language Degree with the Open University and uses the library for studying.
Charlie
Restaurant Supervisor
Charlie is one of our hard-working restaurant team members. She has worked in hospitality previously and applied to Gladstone’s Library because: ‘It is a nice environment with nice people’. She likes bumping into writers in Food for Thought. Charlie is working towards her NVQ Level 3 in Hospitality Supervision.
Charlie holds a degree in photography and runs a business with her sister where they sell items with a body positive message. She is into crafty things, particularly macrame.
Charly
Demi Chef de Partie
Charly lives in Nercwys and has worked in the food industry for roughly 15 years, most recently as a kitchen manager in a bistro. She prepares the cold breakfast items at Gladstone’s Library and cooks and serves up hot, freshly cooked breakfast foods.
She starts every day by laying out the kitchen bar, warming up the croissants, cooking the porridge and preparing for the hot food orders. She says that, while working in a kitchen is usually a high-pressure job, she finds Gladstone’s Library a more relaxed working environment.
She likes the fact she gets on well with her colleagues and that the guests tend to appreciate her cooking more than her family at home, although she loves her children to bits!
Evan
Facilities Officer
Evan came to Gladstone’s Library after a career in building work. He is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of this Grade I listed building, and he can turn his hand to plumbing, joinery, decorating and general work.
He says: ‘There is no set routine which is perfect for me because if I’m stuck on one job doing one thing then I get bored.’ He wishes he could go back 100 years and be part of the team building the library because ‘that was a time when things were done properly’.
Gareth
Head Chef
Gareth is a chef with more than a decade of experience in the food industry. He jumped at the chance to work at Gladstone’s Library because as a career chef he gets to experiment, design menus and come up with new recipes alongside his fellow kitchen staff. He is currently working towards his NVQ Level 3 in Hospitality Supervision.
He says he enjoys cooking as both a hobby and at work, and particularly likes baking. He said: “I cook, eat, sleep, cook, eat, sleep – and I love it.”
Helene
Reception
Helene lives in Ewloe and previously worked at John Lewis as a customer specialist, where she provided training and customer support. She also has a background in working in hospitality. Her interests include learning therapeutic reflexology.
She is a bit of a thrill-seeker, and enjoys sub-aqua diving, flying microlights and sailing. Her favourite part of the job is seeing guests’ and Readers’ faces as they enter the beautiful Reading Rooms for the first time.
Isobel
Librarian
Isobel Goodman is the Librarian at Gladstone’s Library. She has a CILIP-accredited library Masters degree in Book History and Material Culture from the University of Edinburgh, and has previously worked in university and rare book libraries in Cambridge, Edinburgh and Oxford.
Isobel’s favourite thing about Gladstone’s Library is caring for and working with the wonderful book collections dating from the 15th century right up to the present day, and having the opportunity to bring these books to a wider audience. You can find her either on the enquiry desk in the Theology Room where she is happy to assist readers, or in Library Services working to make the printed book collections more accessible to the public.
Jade
Engagement and Learning Officer
Jade is an Engagement and Learning Officer at Gladstone’s Library. Having previously taught languages in schools, sixth-forms and university level, Jade is now writing her PhD on Franco-British culinary evolutions. Her role at the Library is to encourage more young people to engage with a greater understanding of culture and society.
With her background in education and languages and cultures, Jade is enthusiastic to share her skills. One of Jade’s hobbies is experimenting with vintage recipes.
James
Reading Room Assistant
James’ role involves customer service, assisting the Archivist and Librarians, processing books, reshelving them, updating the catalogue, coming up with ideas for social media, taking new Readers around for an induction and more.
James says: ‘I have always been interested in libraries. I read a lot of Terry Pratchett* and I think he was right: there is something magical about lots of books in one space – especially when the books are as pretty as ours.’
* A fantasy author who came up with the idea that all libraries are interlinked through L-space. He is known for his humorous of asterisks and notes.
Jim
Fundraising and Development Manager
Jim Creed is the Fundraising and Development Officer at Gladstone’s Library and is always looking for creative ways to help support our donors, sponsors, and funders. He has previously worked in fundraising roles in both the charity and education sector and has managed a range of creative arts-based projects including gallery spaces, outreach projects, and a fine art printmaking studio.
He has first-class BA (Hons) in Art History and a MA with Distinction in Museum Studies from University of Leicester, and he is passionate about making arts and heritage accessible. Jim collects prints and books by the artist and printmaker Paul Peter Piech (1920-1996) and has written several published articles about him for art journals and magazines. Jim also co-curated a major retrospective exhibition of Piech’s work at the People’s History Museum in Manchester in 2016/17. Jim’s favorite thing about working at Gladstone’s Library is helping to support the future development of the institution and making the library accessible to all our visitors, readers, and writers.
Louisa
Director of Collections and Research
Louisa Yates is Director of Collections and Research at Gladstone’s Library, a post she has held since its inception in 2012. Alongside Peter Francis, Louisa is Festival Director of the Library’s major and micro festivals, Gladfest and Hearth, and is on the longlisting panel for the Library’s successful Writer in Residence programme.
Louisa combines her post at Gladstone’s Library with a role as Visiting Lecturer in English at the University of Chester. She has spoken at conferences across the UK and in the US and continues to publish original research. Perhaps her weirdest – but most wonderful – moment was persuading the audience of London’s School of Thought of the literary merit of the collected oeuvre of Jilly Cooper.
Louise
Reading Room Assistant
Louise Roberts is an assistant in the Reading Rooms. Her first working role was as a production secretary at BBC Radio. She studied for Literature degree while bringing up a family. This led to her securing a position as a library manager in a high school on the North Norfolk coast.
She recently gained a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester and enjoys writing in her time away from work. She believes Gladstones Library is an inspiring place to work and says welcoming Readers of all ages is a joy.
Matt
Head Chef
Matt is a familiar face to guests at our Food for Thought restaurant as Head Chef. In association with his colleagues in the kitchen and Operations Manager Sam, he is responsible for planning menus and fulfilling guest orders. He is often to be seen lending a hand elsewhere in the building too – you might catch him hanging banners ahead of literary festivals! His scones are a firm favourite with visitors.
Nicola
Reception Team Member
Nicola’s role involves greeting people when they arrive, making sure guests know where they are going in the building and much more. She says Reception is the hub of the building.
She has worked on hotel reception and in reservations at a large hotel prior to joining Gladstone’s Library and also has experience working in libraries as an assistant.
Her hobbies include playing the saxophone and reading – a lot. She says she likes the atmosphere at Gladstones because: “It’s really personal. You get to know people, and a lot of interesting people come in here. I really enjoy it and am very happy here.”
Oussama
Operations Manager
Oussama (Sam) oversees Food for Thought, housekeeping and Reception from an operational point of view. He previously held a management role at a major hotel, and joined Gladstone’s Library in 2021.
Sam is customer-focused and believes in delivering the best possible service at all times and can often be found in Food for Thought talking through menu updates with our chefs. He is a proud father and family man.
Rosie
Housekeeping
Rosie’s main job is changing the rooms over during stays, making sure the bedrooms are clean, the beds are freshly made and that when someone checks out, everything is made ready for the next guest. That involves communicating with reception and the kitchen staff.
Rosie says she finds it satisfying to make sure everything is as it should be, and she enjoys meeting the guests and getting to know them.
Sarah
Finance Manager
Sarah Robertson is Finance Manager at Gladstone’s Library and has worked at the Library since 2010. She is responsible for all financial aspects including monthly and annual accounts as well as the day to day finances of the business.
Sarah is a qualified Management Accountant and gained her CIMA qualification whilst working as a trainee accountant with The Steiner Hairdressing Group after gaining a BA(Hons) in Accounting and Finance at Liverpool Polytechnic. She has been employed in the finance function in a variety of businesses including a BUPA Hospital, an engineering company and transport company.
Victoria
Reception Team Member
Victoria previously worked as Reception Manager at Ruthin Castle and held Store Manager roles at several high street stores. She holds a degree from Liverpool John Moores University in History and American Studies.
In her spare time (if she finds any, with two young children to run around after) she likes to attend concerts. The thing she love most about the Library is arriving in the morning to a beautiful historical building – and also chatting with guests.