How to find us
Directions
Gladstone's Library is in the heart of Hawarden village. It is easily accessible by road, just 15 minutes' drive from the M56 and close to the A55, A548 and A494.
Satnavs should be set to travel to CH5 3DF. Please ensure that your Satnav is up to date before inputting our details - we don't want you to end up in the wrong place!
Church Lane is easy to miss - it is a small turning opposite the Gallery cafe, directly after (or before, depending on direction of travel) the pelican crossing in the centre of the village.
If you find yourself going downhill past the war memorial, you've taken the wrong turning - take the first right, follow the road round, go right again and have another go!
We do have some car parking on site, but if full there is a good (free) public car park on Tinkersdale (A550), five minutes' walk away.
Free parking is also available at Flintshire Record Office on Rectory Lane.
Unless it is more convenient to travel from or via Wrexham, we recommend that you come via Chester (only six miles from Hawarden) and travel onwards by bus or taxi.
Chester is only two hours from London, with trains leaving from Euston.
It is also 20 minutes' train ride from Crewe.
Hawarden station can be reached from Wrexham or Liverpool.
From Wrexham, take the service to Bidston.
From Liverpool, take the Wirral line (green on the map) to Bidston, then change to the Transport for Wales service to Wrexham.
Do not disembark at Hawarden Bridge - it is an unstaffed station with almost no mobile phone signal.
When you disembark at Hawarden Station, walk out of the station, turn right, and follow the road until you see the Library (a few minutes' walk).
To plan your journey, please visit the National Rail website.
Please note: Splitting your train ticket may result in a cheaper fare!
Buses to Hawarden are the 4 and the X4. They depart from the bus stop opposite Chester train station, to the side of the Town Crier pub. Before 7pm departures are roughly every 30 minutes, after 7pm there is roughly one an hour until 11pm.
Gladstone's Library has a special partnership with Arriva Buses Wales to offer discounted M-Tickets to adults wishing to travel to Gladstone's Library from Chester. Simply enter the code GLADNW on the M-Ticket app to receive a £2 discount on Adult Day Tickets. And when you get here, present your paper or mobile ticket for the day of your visit at Food for Thought and receive a free cup of tea or filter coffee (one drink per ticket). Please ensure your region is 'Wales', and the 'Wales and North West' zone is selected.
Further information and bus timetables can be found on the Arriva Bus Wales website here. Find out more about Arriva M-Tickets (including how to download the app) here.
Arriva tickets and the Arriva M-Ticket App are the property and responsibility of Arriva Bus Wales. All enquiries should be directed to Arriva Bus.
Black cabs are available from outside the station. The fare is roughly £20 (less by pre-booked mini cab).
If you are in Chester city centre, the number 11 bus leaves from Chester Bus Interchange. Please see the timetable here.
You have three options:
Bus from airport to Liverpool South Parkway > Merseyrail to Lime Street Station > Merseyrail to Chester > Bus or taxi to Hawarden
OR
Bus from airport to Lime Street > Merseyrail to Chester > Bus to Hawarden
OR
Bus from airport to Lime Street > Merseyrail to Bidston > Arriva Trains to Hawarden
Further information and route planning can be found on the Merseyrail website.
Trains depart regularly from Manchester Airport to Chester. Once there, follow the options given for Chester train station.
Keep your fingers crossed for the proposed private airfield at Hawarden!