Beware the Ides of March

15 March 2018

Beware the Ides of March

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?

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Interview: Emma Rees on Taming Shakespeare

7 March 2018

Interview: Emma Rees on Taming Shakespeare

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. 

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Making the most of your visit to Gladstone’s Library

7 March 2018

Making the most of your visit to Gladstone’s Library

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.

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Writing the Revolution

23 February 2018

Writing the Revolution

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… 

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From the Archives…Dossie Drew

7 February 2018

From the Archives…Dossie Drew

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!

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Inspirational books by inspirational women

6 February 2018

Inspirational books by inspirational women

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).

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From the Archives…Behind every great man is a great woman: Catherine Gladstone, 1812 - 1900

5 February 2018

From the Archives…Behind every great man is a great woman: Catherine Gladstone, 1812 - 1900

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.

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Sophia, a poem

1 February 2018

Sophia, a poem

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.

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Wales' very own St. Valentine!

23 January 2018

Wales' very own St. Valentine!

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. 

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The reader behind the book - a look at marginalia

18 January 2018

The reader behind the book - a look at marginalia

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…

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