The Gladstones and the Pankhursts by Rachel Holmes

25 November 2015

The Gladstones and the Pankhursts by Rachel Holmes

I’ve spent the day dusting off the historical connections between the Gladstones and the Pankhursts. These legendary British political families didn’t exactly have reciprocal dinner parties or exchange Christmas cards, but for the best part of two generations, they catalyzed each other’s lives.

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Explore Your Archive week: a delve into the stacks

18 November 2015

Explore Your Archive week: a delve into the stacks

14th – 22nd November is national Explore Your Archive week, an initiative conceived by The National Archives and The Archives and Records Association aiming to showcase archives and tell amazing stories. To tie in with this, we‘ve decided to delve into our own archival collections and do some exploring of our own…

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Turn to books for the perfect present this Christmas!

13 November 2015

Turn to books for the perfect present this Christmas!

Halloween is well and truly over, the embers of Bonfire Night have dwindled away and now that November is in full swing it’s time to start thinking about what you might like to buy your loved ones for Christmas. Unless you simply ask someone what they’d like, it can be very difficult to decide on the perfect gift. Of course, at Gladstone’s Library we suggest you can rarely go wrong with a good book!

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A Feast of Words and Ideas: Gladfest by Robyn Cadwallader

10 November 2015

A Feast of Words and Ideas: Gladfest by Robyn Cadwallader

September isn’t the time to leave Australia and go travelling to the other side of the world. It’s the first month of spring. The air moves more lightly; the hard, hopeful buds are beginning to swell; the trees are coated in the bright green of young leaves; the blossom appears, seemingly, overnight; and the magpies turn ballsy. Outside my kitchen the Wisteria transforms from winding sticks to purple lanterns and the veggie garden grows weeds at an alarming rate.

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A polite notice to budding photographers

23 October 2015

A polite notice to budding photographers

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

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Interview with visiting philosopher Jane Dryden

23 October 2015

Interview with visiting philosopher Jane Dryden

Throughout the month of October, philosopher Jane Dryden has been staying at the Library as our Theologian in Residence.

On a not-so-sunny day mid-month, we sat down with her to find out what she’s been working on, tucked away at her favourite gallery desk…

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Writer in Residence Jessie Burton reflects on her time at the Library

20 August 2015

Writer in Residence Jessie Burton reflects on her time at the Library

Gladstone’s, when I first saw it, appeared at the end of the drive like a cross between an Oxford college and a Blyton boarding school. Turrets, a graveyard next door, esoteric books in the library, sticky toffee pudding EVERY DAY and the glee of never having to cook for myself…

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Salley Vickers talks inspiration and style in another SOLD OUT Writers in Residence event

14 August 2015

Salley Vickers talks inspiration and style in another SOLD OUT Writers in Residence event

‘A short story is like a love affair’ – Salley Vickers describes her latest published work, The Boy Who Could See Death, remarking on the difference between her many novels and her latest collection of short stories. For the lucky people who find themselves in front of the phenomenally successful author on Tuesday night, it proves to be a moving and insightful evening with discussion ranging from Salley’s childhood memories of Venice to her experiences as a psycho-analytical specialist.

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Reflections - by Lachlan Mackinnon

31 July 2015

Reflections - by Lachlan Mackinnon

‘On my way here, I read Joanne Limburg’s terrific new novel, A Want of Kindness, about Queen Anne. Quite apart from lighting up a patch of history I knew nothing about, the novel so engrossed me that I felt I was travelling through a much older country. I was therefore briefly startled by how much Gladstone’s Library is a child of his century…’

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How many reasons does it take to fall in love with Gladstone's Library?

31 July 2015

How many reasons does it take to fall in love with Gladstone's Library?

Intern Becky Marvin explores…

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