Founded at the end of the 19th century by a former British prime minister, it has 26 rooms where tourists, scholars or researchers can stay and take one of its 150,000 volumes.
08 ene 2024 . Updated at 05:00 a.m.
As an institution whose purpose is the acquisition, conservation, study and exhibition of books and documents. This is how the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy describes a library; That is, it is a space where anyone can go and request a book, newspaper or magazine to read. However, in the United Kingdom there is a center of this nature that does not fully fit this definition. The reason? Your visitors can spend the night there and take the books to bed if they wish.
This is the Gladstone Library, located in the small Welsh town of Hawarden (about 355 kilometers northwest of London). The cultural center was founded in 1889 by William Gladstone, who was Prime Minister four times (1868?74, 1880?85, 1886 and 1892?94) under the long reign of Victoria (1837-1901).
The politician, who built a collection of more than 30,000 books in his Hawarden castle, wanted the knowledge contained in them to be available to anyone who was interested in reading them. And for this reason he bought land in the neighboring town and began to erect a building to house his volumes.
Despite his advanced age, more than 80 years old, Gladstone himself participated in the transfer of the texts from Hawarden Castle to their new temporary home, just over a kilometer away, doing much of the manual work himself, helped only by his camera assistant and one of his daughters, according to the institution. The center became the first of its kind in the United Kingdom to be founded by a premier.
Upon his death, in 1898, the former president left part of his fortune to support his library and to realize his dream of building a series of rooms so that scholars from afar could spend long periods of time conducting their research. (He wanted) to bring together readers who had no books and books that had no readers, wrote the politician’s daughter, Mary Drew.
In 1902, the current red brick building, designed by architect John Douglas, was built, and in 1906 the library welcomed its first guest. Today, Gladstone Library is the only library in the United Kingdom where visitors can spend time there.
Currently, the institution has 26 rooms located just a few steps from the nearly 150,000 books that make up its collection. They are equipped with private bathrooms and internet connection. However, guests won’t find a single television. This is to preserve the spirit of study and reflection, those responsible for the center explain on their website.
At the 26 desks and numerous armchairs in its enormous two-story reading rooms, which are filled with books from floor to ceiling, different authors have started, revised or finished 300 titles that have been published in the last decade. .
The Gladstone Library houses an important collection of texts on history, philosophy, literature and art, but above all theology. It even has a chapel where religious services are held.
For much of the 20th century, the Anglican Church used the institution as a training center. However, this is no longer the case and today only 30% of guests are religious. Spending a night ranges between 150 and 200 euros, but there are discounts of up to 40% for students, religious and authors.
2024-01-08 04:07:07
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