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Gladstone's Library, known until 2010 as St Deiniol's Library (), is a residential library in
Visit Wales website
/ref> It also holds the Glynne-Gladstone Archive, containing the personal, family, business, and estate correspondence and papers of the Glynne and Gladstone families.
Official websiteGladstone Library, Collections and Archive websiteU.S. Friends of Gladstone's Library
{{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1902 Houses completed in 1906 Libraries in Wales John Douglas buildings Tourist attractions in Flintshire Grade I listed buildings in Flintshire William Ewart Gladstone Authors' libraries 1906 establishments in Wales Charities based in Wales
Gladstone's Library, known until 2010 as St Deiniol's Library (), is a residential library in Hawarden
Hawarden (; ) is a village and community (Wales), community in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home to Hawarden Castle (medieval), Hawarden Castle. In the 2011 United Kingdom census, ...
, Flintshire
Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...
, Wales, UK.
Gladstone's Library is Britain's only Prime Ministerial Library and serves as the national memorial to William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party.
In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
. It is home to a large collection of printed items and archives that reflects Gladstone's main interests in history, literature, theology, and politics.
History
The library was founded by William Gladstone in 1894. He was eager to share his personal library with others, especially those who faced financial constraint. He would allow bright children and young adults of the village ofHawarden
Hawarden (; ) is a village and community (Wales), community in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home to Hawarden Castle (medieval), Hawarden Castle. In the 2011 United Kingdom census, ...
to use his collection. His daughter Mary Gladstone said that his desire was to "bring together books who had no readers with readers who had no books".
In 1895, at the age of 85, William Gladstone gave £40,000 to the library as well as much of his own book collection. With the help of his daughter and his valet, he wheeled a selection of his books three quarters of a mile (1.2km) between his home at Hawarden Castle and the library. He unpacked them and put them onto shelves using his own classification system.
In a diary entry dated 23 December 1895, he described the library's founding:
"I have this day constituted my trust at St Deiniol's. The cost of the work has been I think £41 to £42000, including some charges of maintenance to Dec. 31. 95. May God of His mercy prosper it."
Following his death in 1898, a public appeal was launched for funds to provide a permanent building to house the collection and replace the temporary structure. The £9,000 raised provided an imposing building, designed by John Douglas, which was officially opened by Earl Spencer on 14 October 1902 as the National Memorial to W.E. Gladstone. The Gladstone family fulfilled the founder's vision by funding the residential wing, which welcomed its first resident on 29 June 1906.
Facilities
The library is a Grade Ilisted building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
and a registered charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definitio ...
.
The building includes historical reading rooms, 26 bedrooms for overnight guests, a guest lounge, cafe and restaurant.
The library runs regular tours, talks, workshops, masterclasses and residential courses.
Collections
The library holds 20,000 volumes belonging toWilliam Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party.
In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
in its Foundation Collection, many of which contain Gladstone's own annotations, as well as over 150,000 books, pamphlets, and journals in its circulating collection./ref> It also holds the Glynne-Gladstone Archive, containing the personal, family, business, and estate correspondence and papers of the Glynne and Gladstone families.
See also
*Dr Williams's Library
Dr Williams's Library was a small English research library located in Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London, the contents have now been relocated to Manchester. Historically, it has had a strong Unitarian focus. The library has also been known as ...
in London
* List of non-ecclesiastical and non-residential works by John Douglas
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1902 Houses completed in 1906 Libraries in Wales John Douglas buildings Tourist attractions in Flintshire Grade I listed buildings in Flintshire William Ewart Gladstone Authors' libraries 1906 establishments in Wales Charities based in Wales