Glimpses

Gladstone's is unable to offer the traditional 'guided tour' that is a feature of many historic and heritage spaces. We're a working Library and every day, all of our rooms are busy with those who come to stay, study, and rest. However, we do understand that of course people are keen to see the Library's beautiful spaces, and so we run short 'Glimpses' which we think strike a good balance between welcoming those who'd like a talk and a chance to take some pictures, and those whose visit is specifically due to the Library's quiet, studious atmosphere.

 - Glimpses run twice monthly, and places are limited.

 - Please book your place using our Events and Courses List. 

 - Glimpses last for approximately twenty minutes. It starts with a ten-minute talk in the Gladstone Room, our relaxed sitting space. Alongside your Glimpse group you might find people tapping away at laptops and drinking tea!

 - The group then walks down the main corridor for a short five-minute visit to our Reading Rooms. After we've left the Readers to their silence, there will be chance for questions.

 - Glimpses cover the history of Gladstone's Library and the broad purpose of what we do here. Although your visit to the Reading Rooms includes seeing Gladstone's books on the shelves, we cannot show individual collection items.

 - All the spaces visited on a Glimpse are accessible.

 - We believe monthly scheduled Glimpses strike a balance between openess and the need to preserve our silent study spaces. All proceeds support the Library and its collections.

We thank all of our visitors for helping us maintain the silent atmosphere of Gladstone's Library.