We aren’t in England anymore. Today was a travel day. Beginning at about 9:30 this morning, we took a series of 3 trains from Bristol, England to Hawarden, Wales. We took a Cross Country train for an hour and a half ride from Bristol to Birmingham, then a half hour wait before we caught a Transport for Wales train for another hour and a half ride to Wrexham, Wales. Then another 30 minute wait before a quick 25 minute ride on another Transport for Wales train to Hawarden. All on time and we were able to find room for our big bags and our big bottoms on each one.
But why all this “effort” you ask to get to this small town (population just under 2,000) in Wales. I was very anxious to return to the Gladstone Library, a library started by William Ewert Gladstone, former Prime Minister of Great Britain (on 4 separate occasions between 1868 and 1894). This is not just a library, but it’s a library with hotel accommodations. We had read about and visited the library on a prior house sitting tour pre-COVID. We enjoyed our visit, and Bob got on their email list.
During COVID, the library and hotel accommodations were shuttered along with everything else, so they had to find other ways to make money to keep staff and maintenance. They offered their email list the opportunity to purchase a shelf in the library for a loved one. Bob decided to take them up on this and for a Christmas present last year sent me the notice about the shelf. As a literary bookie, I was thrilled and have been eager to come see it. They only reopened to the public a few months ago, so we decided to take a couple of days before our house sit in Scotland to come visit.
The library has a number of reading rooms. My shelf is in the Theological Room, section I 58-59 on the upper level of the lovely room.
They don’t have a fancy name plate, and they didn’t include Bob’s sweet note, but I am still very happy to have a shelf. I would stay and read through the books and dust the shelf if I could. Bob and I both noted (he saw it first) that one of the books on my shelf is “Letters to a Sister,”letters from Rose MacCauley to her younger sister, Jean. It felt a bit like a sign.
My name is on the green slip of paper. See noted book about 6 in from my name. Bob’s dedication read, “On behalf of my language-lover wife, who introduced me to words and libraries and the amazing Gladstone’s Library.”
We’re currently in the lounge having a pre-dinner wine on the honor system before eating dinner here tonight. We didn’t do dinner here at the first visit, so we’re interested to see how the food is. A quick look at tonight’s menu showed a lot of vegetarian options as well as fish!
Peckish Travels 