by Rhian Waller | Friday, 11th October 2024

We are pleased to announce that Gladstone’s Library has launched a new online bookshop thanks to bookshop.org.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 21st August 2024

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 04th July 2024

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 25th June 2024

"Here is my highly opinionated guide on how to get the most from Gladstone’s Library, in big ways and small." - by Dan Kaszeta, author of Toxic

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 20th June 2024

Our Engagement and Learning Officers have been in post for a little less than a month and they are already hard at work. Now the dust has settled following their arrival, we thought it was time to catch up with them about their project.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 18th March 2024

The project will empower young people (aged 16-24) to explore and discuss universal Gladstonian themes, including religious tolerance, human rights and democracy, and challenge historical and contemporary topics such as slavery, colonialism, and minority rights.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 05th January 2024

"It was a pleasure to meet Mr Drakeford and talk to him about the archives and the special collections here, about the Library as it is today and about its future."

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 19th December 2023

Christmas is a time for remembering. Here, we remember a particular Friend to the Library. In mid-October, one of our supporters Joseph Boughey led a Remembrance Event for his beloved wife, Sara Richards, at the Library.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 10th November 2023

Peter Stanley is 90 years old, lives in Boughton, Chester, and is adamant that he is not a writer. Despite that, he has written and self-published a book, KISS: A Meditation on the Art of Wellbeing by Keeping It Simple, a part memoir, part self-help book based on his own life.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 06th October 2022

British Dyslexia Association Dyslexia Week 2022 is this week! It runs until Sunday 9th October, with the theme of 'Breaking Through Barriers'. 

Having dyslexia and working in a library could seem a bit of a contradiction - after all, one of the best-known symptoms of dyslexia is a difficulty with spelling, reading, and writing. However, Reading Room Assistant James has other opinions...

Part one of a two-part series by James. 

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 18th May 2022

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 20th January 2022

"As well as the history of the place, and the variety of voluntary projects that Gladstone’s Library has, the Library boasts some fabulous late Victorian era neo-gothic architecture. A building of monumental proportions, exquisitely opulent, it is well worth every single brick that went into building the place."

by Rhian Waller | Sunday, 01st August 2021

“We cannot wait to show you the improvements we have made and welcome you back.” 

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 25th February 2021

Our wildly successful fundraiser extended by popular demand.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 11th November 2020

A new online space for Readers and Friends.

by Rhian Waller | Saturday, 03rd October 2020

Writing this is like reaching out to friends you haven't seen in a long time...

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 27th July 2020

by Rhian Waller | Saturday, 25th January 2020

2019 saw a record number of visitors welcomed to Gladstone’s Library. Over 13, 000 visitors came through the doors over the last 12 months to visit the Reading Rooms of north Wales' literary gem. 

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 29th July 2019

In an age of single use and throw-away products, we can often find ourselves yearning for something with a sense of permanence. No sooner have we bought the newest, shiniest iPhone than Apple releases the newer, shinier version, rendering our new phone a technologically competent, but intrinsically second-best space-filler. The same is true of cars, of clothes, of practically everything manufactured these days. The only thing that seems not to fit this mould? Books.

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 30th January 2019

Are you looking for that perfect spot for Sunday Lunch, or something a little lighter over the Mothering Sunday weekend? Look no further - Food for Thought has a whole weekend of dining planned for the occasion for families to enjoy tasty food in a relaxing setting.

by Gladstones Library | Tuesday, 04th December 2018

As winter is well underway and Christmas is just around the corner, you might be considering a last-minute winter getaway. You might be looking for a destination that boasts a warm and cosy atmosphere, with a log fire, tranquil surroundings and a suitably festive ambiance; a place where you can curl up in an armchair with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate (or mulled wine!), after a brisk winter’s walk in the countryside.

by Gladstones Library | Thursday, 21st June 2018

We love picnics - who doesn’t? It’s an absolutely inarguable fact that sandwiches taste better when eaten outside in the sunshine. The same goes, funnily enough, for quiche, salad, salmon, baked potatoes and cold meats. Which, by an incredible coincidence, are the exact foods that will be on offer at Picnic Day at Gladstone’s Library on Tuesday, 3rd July!

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 20th June 2018

Please note, the Library will be closed for the day on Monday, 2nd July for our Annual Gladstone Lecture and Founder's Day.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 18th May 2018

Over a long day confined to a desk a mind can wander great distances. But bodies need exercise too. To this end, every evening before dinner – or sometimes after – I’ve been stepping into the dappled light for a walk or a jog through the Bilberry Woods, on the edge of the Hawarden Estate.

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 24th April 2018

1.5 million Armenians were killed (1915 – 1923) by the Ottoman Turks in what was the first genocide of the 20th Century. This followed the Armenian massacres of 1894 - 1896 and the Armenian Holocaust at Adana in 1909.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 11th April 2018

I've recently put together a display of books from our collection to illustrate the arrival of the new season - spring! This got me thinking about the meanings of the spring season itself.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 07th March 2018

So, you’re visiting Gladstone's Library for the first time, fantastic! What’s the plan?

We recommend arriving around 11am. Our on-site café and bistro Food for Thought is open to the public (10am - 5pm), and a nice hot cup of coffee is the perfect start to your day.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 26th February 2018

Gladstone’s Library became an internet sensation over the weekend when news and entertainment website Buzzfeed published a video on the Facebook page of its travel arm, Bring Me.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 01st February 2018

Sophia (meaning ‘wisdom’ in Greek) was carved by sculpture and architectural stone carver Tom Waugh and has watched over the gardens at Gladstone's Library since 2010. Her four stone benches - Cariad (Love), Heddwch (Peace), Gwirionedd (Truth), and Cyfiawnder (Justice) - invite the thinker to idle and contemplate a-while.

by Gladstones Library | Thursday, 01st February 2018

We are pleased to be re-running last year’s successful Mother’s Day offer of a free glass of Prosecco or soft drink for all women joining us for Afternoon Tea on Mothering Sunday, 11th March.

by Gladstones Library | Tuesday, 16th January 2018

Please note that we are now fully booked.

Looking for a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year that won’t break the bank?

Celebrate with a loved one and Afternoon Tea for two at Gladstone’s Library on Wednesday, 14th February between 3pm and 4pm. 

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 20th November 2017

The current resident Chaplain of Gladstone’s Library in November 2017 is working on a project - compiling names, a list of saints and friends of God - to include in an Uncommon Calendar of Prayer for Chapel services.

You are invited to participate in this project by submitting names of persons who have inspired your life in a most positive and decisive way.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 07th August 2017

Staring at me from the desk in my bedroom at Gladstone’s Library during my recent residency was a postcard inscribed with a bit of the namesake’s wisdom: 

Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence. Conservatism is distrust of the people tempered by fear. 

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 24th July 2017

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 31st May 2017

Please note, the Reading Rooms will be closed from 3pm on 9th June - 2pm on 11th June for our Alibis in the Archive event.

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 31st May 2017

Here at the Library we want to say thank you to fathers everywhere on this special day for all of the love and the care invested in us. Even if sometimes we’re a little troublesome, you support us and we love you!

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 17th May 2017

Please note that the sign-up regulations for Friends of the Library are changing. 

Following advice from our insurers, Gladstone’s Library is now only able to accept Friend applications from individuals in Year 12 and above. As the Reading Rooms at Gladstone’s Library are unstaffed after 5pm, unfortunately individuals under this age are not permitted to remain in this unsupervised area due to safeguarding issues. 

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 08th May 2017

A visitor to the Library has just shown me a glass plate made in 1869 to celebrate Gladstone being elected as Prime Minister. It is embossed with the slogan ‘Gladstone for the Million’, which is simply a way of saying ‘for the many’. It is just one of the many commemorative plates, jugs, cups and even chamber pots that were made in honour of Gladstone and offer striking testimony to his popularity.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 08th May 2017

Gladstone's Library is delighted to have been featured in the New York Times (both online and in the physical paper!) in this wonderful piece about what Gladstone’s Library stands for. The title of the piece is ‘A Refuge for Liberal Values Beneath a Stern Victorian Gaze’...

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 04th April 2017

We are delighted to announce that just under 11,000 people worked in the Reading Rooms in 2016! That’s more than ever before, the highest number we’ve yet recorded. Many of those working in the Reading Rooms are enjoying our collections: use of books, journals and archive material is going up year-on-year. User feedback indicates that you, like us, are delighted to be part of a thriving, bustling working environment.

by Gladstones Library | Tuesday, 31st January 2017

Calling all women!

Here at the Library we want to say thank you to mums everywhere on this special day for all of the love and the care invested in us. Even if sometimes we’re a little troublesome, you support us and we love you!

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 14th December 2016

‘Quirky and eccentric— like hanging out in your favourite bookshop.’

That’s how Telegraph Travel editor Rachel Cranshaw describes the Library in her article published today, after her two-night stay with us in September.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 14th November 2016

Tired of buying gifts which are almost instantly cast aside or forgotten about?

How about giving a gift to a loved one which really makes a difference this Christmas?

The ongoing support of the many Friends of Gladstone's Library enables us to meet our day-to-day running costs and keep our beautiful library open and accessible to all.

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 02nd November 2016

At Gladstone’s Library we like value for money; who doesn’t? It was William Gladstone’s wish that no one be prevented from staying or studying at his Library by financial constraint.

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 02nd November 2016

Book one of our conference rooms before 15th November for any date until 28th February 2017, and we will charge you just £20 per person for our all-inclusive full day package.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 10th October 2016

Last month BBC Radio Wales’ All Things Considered visited Gladstone’s Library to speak to Warden Peter Francis about what role our Victorian library plays in contemporary life.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 29th September 2016

Theatr Clwyd, Mold, is offering friends of Gladstone's Library a 10% discount off full and concession ticket prices at all performances of Insignificance. 

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 10th August 2016

Stay at Gladstone’s Library for a minimum of two consecutive nights between 28th August and 30th October and take advantage of our Sunday Special offer! As long as your stay includes a Sunday night, we will treat you to a FREE two course Sunday Dinner (served 6.45pm – 7.15pm).

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 02nd August 2016

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 17th June 2016

We are thrilled to offer our congratulations to 2012 Writer in Residence and Trustee, Stella Duffy, who has been awarded an OBE for Services to the Arts in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List! It is always a pleasure to work with Stella and we can think of few people more deserving of this award.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 03rd June 2016

Over the last week, the Film & Theology DVD collection at Gladstone's Library has almost doubled in size. Why? Thanks to a substantial donation from Warden Peter Francis of over 160 new DVDs from his own personal collection. 

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 31st May 2016

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 27th May 2016

If you've used the Reading Rooms here at the Library in the last few weeks, you may have heard some peculiar noises. Library Assistant Gary Butler explains all...

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 13th May 2016

Spring is a time of change and natural miracles. Just to walk around Hawarden is to be faced with ample evidence of this: the leaves are new-green, lambs hop in the fields, and country strolls frequently feature herds of cows who enjoy slobbering on my hands and terrorising my taurophobic co-worker.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 22nd April 2016

For any guests visiting us at the beginning of May 2016, please be aware that the Queensferry roundabout will be closed overnight on Wednesday, 4th May and from Friday evening to Monday morning 6th - 9th of May.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 18th April 2016

Today Gladstone’s Library was surprised and perturbed to find itself in the UKIP 2016 Welsh Assembly Election Manifesto which was released last Friday, 15th April.

by Gladstones Library | Tuesday, 22nd March 2016

I despair increasingly of the democratising potential of Twitter. But it has achieved one good thing for me: it’s where I first heard about Gladstone’s Library.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 21st March 2016

I first heard about Gladstone’s Library in 2011 when I picked up a leaflet at the Hay Festival. I am a huge fan of William Gladstone, a Prime Minister who, for all his failings, really tried to improve the lot of ordinary people. So I was delighted to discover his library existed, and furthermore that it was possible to stay there. I was in the midst of writing my novel Echo Hall at the time and the idea of a writing retreat at Hawarden was very tempting. But, it’s a long way from Oxford and being a busy working parent it wasn’t until 2013 that I finally managed to make the trip.

by Gladstones Library | Wednesday, 20th January 2016

24th – 30th January is Breakfast Week, during which time organisations across Britain are coming together to shake up your wake up and offer something a little different in those early hours.

by Gladstones Library | Friday, 06th November 2015

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances, Writer at Liberty with Rachel Holmes has been rescheduled to Monday, 9th November at 7.30pm.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 29th October 2015

Gift vouchers for Gladstone's Library make the perfect gift for book lovers.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 23rd October 2015

A quick note to anyone planning on taking pictures in the Library 

by Gladstones Library | Thursday, 15th October 2015

We know it’s October and we know that Halloween has not yet passed, but we’re getting organised nice and early for Christmas this year to ensure that you can be too!

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 24th July 2015

Loyd Grossman takes the chair for our Annual Gladstone Lecture as our multi-talented panel discuss whether the Library currently demonstrates the same enthusiasm for spirituality, literary culture and political discourse as the Grand Old Man himself.

Our panellists answer the question 'Does the Library remain truly ‘Gladstonian’ today?

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 17th July 2015

George Osborne visits the Library of his most famous predecessor, who delivered 12 budgets over his long political career and whose budget box he used himself upon delivering his first. 

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 10th July 2015

Monday 29^th June 2015, Gladstone’s Library

The Rev. Justin Lewis-Anthony, Ph. D., is currently the Associate Dean of Students and Director of Anglican Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary, where he joined in August 2013. He is also a regular contributor on church and state matters for The Guardian newspaper.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 08th July 2015

Work Experience student Tesni Jones reports on the theological and spiritual section of Monday's debate.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 30th April 2015

One of the benefits of being a Friend of Gladstone’s Library is the opportunity to take part in group visits to places of interest in the company of your fellow Friends.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 24th April 2015

The Rocky Mountain Land Library. Its owners Jeff Lee and Ann Martin became inspired after a visit to Gladstone's Library...

by Gladstones Library | Tuesday, 14th April 2015

We are offering local businesses the opportunity to enjoy a delicious Afternoon Tea and take a look at our conference facilities on Tuesday 21^st April from 3-4pm.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 20th February 2015

An exhibition of photographs marking 75 years of aerospace in Broughton embarks on a public tour next week with a three week visit to Gladstone’s Library.

by Gladstones Library | Friday, 13th February 2015

Gladstone's Library: Offering great accommodation near Chester & North Wales

Recognised as one of the most important research libraries and collections in Wales & 5 star accommodation reviews on trip advisor Gladstone's Library is a truly wonderful place to stay.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 11th February 2015

by Gladstones Library | Thursday, 05th February 2015

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 27th January 2015

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 02nd January 2015

Friends of Gladstone's Library trip to the Portico Library. 

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 10th December 2014

This is a prime time to be at the Library.

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 23rd September 2014

We are looking for Chaplains who are ‘inclusive’ in nature and ecumenical in spirit. The Library is host to clergy and laity of both sexes and from many traditions. It was Gladstone’

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 16th September 2014

The books, history, and most of all the people, made my time at Gladstone’s Library truly unforgettable. During my summer university break I asked to volunteer with the Library’s digitalis

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 01st April 2014

Martha Watson has been at Gladstone's for three months. Now, on the morning she leaves, is her parting message to the Library, its staff and residents. We'll miss her!

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 30th August 2013

Gladstone's Library are delighted to announce the results of our very first creative writing prize, launched to celebrate short and flash fiction. Writers from all over the world entered original

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 17th August 2012

The Library has added several books to its collection and is also now subscribing to four new periodicals: 'New Statesman', 'Spectator', 'Economist', and 'Prospect'.