by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 20th December 2018

This is my Christmas…I was going to say ‘letter’, but I guess it is more of a homily. Hey-ho!  I don’t get to preach often these days but this is what I feel 'compelled' to write. My text, if you can call it that, comes from Naomi Alderman, now a much lauded and fully established novelist, who was our first Writer in Residence in 2012.

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 Rhian Waller | Monday, 03rd December 2018

On Friday, 14th December the Gladstone’s Library team, along with thousands of people up and down the country, will start their day by pulling on a Christmas jumper for a great cause.

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 26th November 2018

You know that moment, when you really should be hard at work. When you really should be reading your way through a particularly dense chapter that is connected to the subject of your next book, with loads of footnotes and references which you have to laboriously work your way through, holding down the page number, consulting the back of the (heavy) book, with the name of the author, the publisher, the date of publication, and let’s face it, all the boring information you need. And your neck begins to ache, and you think you really must stretch your legs, at least stand up and take a turn along the shelves where the grass suddenly seems greener, and the books seem far more glamorous and fascinating. And so you do...

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 09th November 2018

On Saturday, 10th November, Alan Cadwallader delivers this year’s Robinson-Spong public lecture, considering the challenge of material culture to metaphysical readings of the Bible.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 26th October 2018

Do you know the man behind the building of Gladstone’s Library? Possibly not. His name is John Douglas and he designed, during his life, more than 500 buildings. One of them was St Deiniol's Library, today known as Gladstone’s Library.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 18th October 2018

The month of Halloween is in full flow; the nights draw closer, the mornings mistier, and that black cat at the end of the street grows ever more ominous each time you pass. So, as every fancy dress lover’s favourite day of the year looms over us like a pumpkin-shaped apparition, there has never been a more appropriate time to look into the spookier side of our collections here at Gladstone’s Library…

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 03rd October 2018

Benjamin Disraeli, statesman of the conservative party, novelist, twice-serving Prime Minister and, of course, William Gladstone’s political foe.

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 25th September 2018

Although not Welsh himself, in 1894 William Ewart Gladstone decided to found his library across the Welsh border for good reason. The beautiful, remote countryside of Hawarden village, as well as nearby historic areas such as Ruthin and Mold, are steeped in culture and Welsh heritage. With an abundance of hills, forests and, of course, castles, as well as the mountain range of Snowdonia, Gladstone envisaged that rather than the congested streets of London, Liverpool or Manchester, North Wales would serve as the perfectly serene backdrop for his incredible legacy as well as provide the necessary air of tranquillity for study and contemplation.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 14th September 2018

Help us make the Gladfest Fringe even better. Share your passions and get the community thinking together!

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 13th September 2018

You may have been on one of our Glimpses (our short tours of the library) before but, I promise you, you haven’t been told about these books yet!

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 12th September 2018

We are delighted to announce the names of the six winners of our Writers in Residence award and the two winners of our Politics in Residence prize 2019.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 31st August 2018

We’ve had feedback in the past that GladLib guests really trust and rely upon the recommendations of our team – year on year people book festival tickets and accommodation before line ups have even been revealed!

by Gladstones Library | Monday, 20th August 2018

As we enter the final weeks before Gladfest, we’re delighted to announce a very special competition in association with Theatr Clwyd, whose new, all-female production of Lord of the Flies, opens in September.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 10th August 2018

Gladstone’s Library has a thriving volunteer programme. Volunteers work in the Reading Rooms, help give tours, and tend to the gardens. Volunteers help us extend our team and broaden our skills.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 08th August 2018

At Gladstone’s Library we’ve been eagerly consuming the longlists for the 'Man Booker Prize', and its democratic counterpart, the 'Not the Booker Prize' (run by the Guardian), and we’ve spotted some familiar names!

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 01st August 2018

Miranda Kaufmann is the author of Black Tudors: The Untold Story, and one of the wonderful guests joining us for Gladfest 2018. With just a month to go until the festival, we caught up with Miranda to find out what to expect from her new work, as well as glimpses into her writing life.

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 17th July 2018

In the run-up to Gladfest 2018, we caught up with author Joanna Cannon to discuss her latest book Three Things About Elsie as well as her favourite reading memories and top tips for thriving in the world of publishing!

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 16th July 2018

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce that Caruso St John have won the competition to design a prestigious new building for Gladstone’s Library in North Wales and redevelop the existing Grade I listed library and its landscape.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 06th July 2018

Have you ever wondered what the above symbol is? We use it everywhere - on our website, on our social media, our merchandise, even our business cards – it has, in time, become the symbol for Gladstone’s Library. But what exactly is it a symbol for? Where does it come from and what does it mean?

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 05th July 2018

We, the team at Gladstone’s Library, often come across little things in the library and archives that offer intrigue; especially since some of us are still new here! The library is over 100 years old so there are bound to be secrets to explore! One such occasion, for me, was the inscription in the Theology Room (one of our Reading Rooms), and the declaration of ‘undying affection’ for our founder, William Ewart Gladstone...

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 02nd July 2018

We are delighted to today reveal the names of the 13 writers shortlisted for our prestigious Writers in Residence award for 2019.

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 | Thursday, 21st June 2018

Gladstone's Library and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce the four practices shortlisted to design a prestigious new building and re-develop the existing Grade I listed library and landscape.

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 | Thursday, 14th June 2018

As 2018 is the centennial of (some) women gaining the right to vote, we’re celebrating at Gladfest this summer with a green, white and purple Suffragette-inspired colour palette!

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 13th June 2018

Sitting with my feet in a river in rich yellow sun on a June evening, it’s hard to think of February with any clarity. Looking towards the summer solstice after six weeks of (almost) unremittingly fine weather, the library and my wintery sojourn there seems very far away, almost implausible. 

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 08th June 2018

Upon hearing the phrase Gray’s Anatomy, images may come to mind of the popular American TV series set in a Seattle hospital; however a much different medium bears the origin of this name. Within William Gladstone's own collection there exists a 3rd edition copy of Gray’s Anatomy. Not as some might suspect, a novelised version of the TV series, but rather a complete 'descriptive and surgical' look at anatomy.

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 30th May 2018

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 18th May 2018

19th May 2018, marks the 120th anniversary of William Ewart Gladstone’s death. The use of the word ‘anniversary’ may seem too jolly for such a sombre event; William Gladstone’s life was extraordinary and in this post we shall celebrate it and the man behind the podium.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 18th May 2018

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, 01st May 2018

The items on show in our Display Cabinet this month have been curated by intern Alex Locke. Entitled ‘The Irish Answer’, the display concentrates on William Gladstone and Irish Home Rule, and shows not only the complexity of the issue, but the many different types of printed matter the subject generated. In this blog, Alex gives us more on one of the major political problems of the 19th Century… 

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 26th April 2018

Gladstone’s Library is proud to have loaned items from its collections to the North East Wales Heritage Forum to contribute to their exhibition at Wrexham Museum. From the Mold cape to the Gop cairn, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Welsh bible translations, castles, collieries and six of the ‘Seven Wonders of Wales’, North East Wales has an incredibly rich history which deserves to be celebrated, conserved and promoted.

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 | Friday, 20th April 2018

21st April is World Curlew Day, the first annual international event with the aim of raising awareness of the Curlew, one of the most recognisable of wading birds (numenius arquata). According to the RSPB, there are 66,000 breeding pairs in the UK, with 140,000 individual curlews wintering on our shores and estuaries each year.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 19th April 2018

A few of the many things I loved about my stay:

The rook convention outside the library; window sills so wide you can organise your life on them; the giant woodpigeons; the mushroom quiche; that there is a book called The Best Books which Gladstone wrote his name in (some things seemed simpler in the late 19th Century); treacle tart; that I thought a lot, read a lot and wrote quite a lot. That I worked out on the last day my villain’s bad, bad secret. Guilty pleasure: watching both series of The Hour again in the evenings. I love Romola Garai.

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 17th April 2018

Before World War II, when the library was only 30 years old, Alec Vidler, the then Warden of St Deiniol’s Library, was preparing for a 'decrease in the number of ordinary visitors', which he called 'inevitable' is his 1938 report to the board of trustees.

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 | Thursday, 05th April 2018

Here at the Library we mourn the death of Sir William Gladstone Bt, great-grandson of our founder, William Ewart Gladstone, and formerly our Chairman of Trustees. We also celebrate the long and fulfilled life of a person who contributed so much to the Library, as well as to his country and his county.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 30th March 2018

Here at Gladstone’s Library is where, alongside other collections, the personal collection of William Gladstone himself can be found. A collection that the public can come to peruse and enjoy at their own leisure in such a wonderful setting.

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 16th March 2018

At the beginning of April Gladstone’s Library welcomes Debbie Lewer from the University of Glasgow to deliver a course exploring art, faith and failure within visual art from the Middle Ages to the present day. 

Debbie is an art historian who lectures on topics across the field, including on wider media such as photography and architecture. As we edge closer to April, we spoke to the her to find out a little more about her ideas, her work and what we can expect from 'Utterly Human: Art, Faith and Failure'... 

by Rhian Waller | Friday, 16th March 2018

William Ewart Gladstone, a lifelong student and scholar, is well known as a voracious reader and collector of books: Gladstone built up a remarkable personal library, reflecting the wide range of interests of a true Victorian polymath.

However, Gladstone is perhaps less well known for collecting paintings, sculpture, fine porcelain and ivories.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 15th March 2018

Beware the Ides of March; a saying that can often be heard around this time. But why? Why are we warned to 'beware the Ides of March' and what is the story behind it?

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 07th March 2018

Emma Rees was Gladstone’s Library’s Political Writer in Residence in 2016 and returns to Hawarden on Friday, 11th May to lead a two-day residential course on reading Shakespeare without fear. 

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 | Friday, 23rd February 2018

In this blog, intern Alex Locke writes about our latest History Room display for the month of March. The display focuses on how our collections at Gladstone's Library – some on display for the first time – can help illustrate one of the most tumultuous events in Western history – the French Revolution. Read on to find out more about how the printed word played a part in this extraordinary event, and how its influence impacted Gladstone's time as much as our own... 

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 07th February 2018

Gladstone’s Library is delighted to introduce a new blog series entitled ‘From the Archives…’; a regular spotlight on some of the remarkable items we hold within our collections. The series will showcase a selection of our most weird, wonderful, and always fascinating holdings, so be sure to check back regularly for updates!

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 06th February 2018

On 6th February 1918 the Representation of the People Act was passed which allowed women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification to vote. This gave 8.5 million women the vote (though it is important to note that this only represented 40% of the total population of women in the UK and it wasn’t until ten years later that women achieved full equality in voting rights).

by Rhian Waller | Monday, 05th February 2018

To celebrate International Women’s Day today, our archivist Dawn Ridding draws our attention to her favourite, and less well-known member of the Gladstone family, Catherine Gladstone, wife of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone for 59 years, until his death in 1898.

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 | Thursday, 01st February 2018

Each year we programme a range of exciting and diverse courses which can be enjoyed either as a resident, or a non-residential guest. There’s nothing like partaking in stimulating debate and discussion in the daytime and gathering for a glass of wine and social time around the fire each evening, before enjoying a tasty homecooked meal

by Rhian Waller | Tuesday, 23rd January 2018

St. Dwynwen is Wales’ patron saint of love and Dydd Santes Dwynwen is the Welsh equivalent of St. Valentine’s Day. Dwynwen (meaning ‘she who lives a blessed life’) was a 4th / 5th-century princess and one of King Brychan Brycheiniog’s 24 daughters. 

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 18th January 2018

Library Intern Katie Ruffley has curated this month's display which is on W.E. Gladstone's habit of marginalia, or writing in books. In this blog, Katie discusses some of the difficulties faced when trying to create a display about books – as well as the contentiousness of whether to write, or not to write, in the margins...

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 18th January 2018

In this blog, library intern Carla Manfredino considers the library used by one of her favourite writers, Argentine author and librarian Jorge Luis Borges, and asks how many of those books could be found on the shelves here in Hawarden... 

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 | Tuesday, 16th January 2018

We are looking for family-friendly performers of all kinds to showcase their talents at this year’s Gladfest, 8th – 9th September.

by Rhian Waller | Thursday, 04th January 2018

Gladstone’s Library is now open for submissions for its 2019 Writers in Residence programme, from which a selection of the best contemporary writers will be chosen to reside at the Library to focus on their current projects. 

by Rhian Waller | Wednesday, 03rd January 2018

Pull up a chair, gather around the fireside and indulge in a weekend of stimulating and entertaining conversation at Gladstone’s Library.