Iron and stone helped shape Gladstone's Library in Hawarden

Gladstone's Library, Hawarden

By Rhian Waller - Gladstone's Library PR and marketing

The fabric of a library...

The core collection at Gladstone's Library, the books once owned by William Ewart Gladstone himself, probably originally sat in the places most books sit in your home and office (and some places they probably wouldn't) - on bookshelves, beside the bed, on desks and on tabletops. William Gladstone, less typically, had an in-house library in his study.

The story goes that, upon founding the institution that would become St Deiniol's Library (renamed Gladstone's Library in the 2010s), Gladstone himself transferred the chosen books from his house to the new library by wheelbarrow, with the help of his daughter and a manservant.

The building created in 1889 to house these books was nicknamed the 'Tin Tabernacle', as it closely resembled the prefabricated tin churches that sprang up in the mid-19th century to cater for congregations that did not have access to old stone buildings.

Despite its name, this young version of Gladstone's Library was actually built of corrugated iron.

After Gladstone's death (his Will included a substantial bequest to continue the work of the library), the Reading Rooms wing of the current building began construction. It was planned by architect John Douglas and was funded by public subscription - clearly it was not just Gladstone himself who saw the value of the library collection.

Read more:

• Business as usual for bookshops, as Prince Harry's memoir, 'Spare' released
• Authors set for historic site's mini literary festival
• Aura Libraries: Focus on Flint's heritage, plus Mold author event

This new building was far more substantial; a neo-Gothic Victorian design constructed of red sandstone (a familiar material in nearby Chester as there were sandstone quarries in Cheshire), complete with slate roof. This opened in 1902, with the residential wing added in 1906. Residents and books were now under one roof - previously they would have stayed at a converted building elsewhere on the grounds.

Since then, the building has grown, with an annex and chapel extension but its essential fabric has remained the same: slate and sandstone without, lime and horsehair plaster and wooden bookshelves, panelling and pillars within.

But of course, these things alone do not make a library. A library is also the books, the collections, the archives, the staff team and most importantly the people who come to visit.