Library Life

Gladstone's Library, Hawarden

By Jace Barry...

I am currently studying photography at the University of Chester, so when I found out I had a volunteering module I jumped at the chance to volunteer at Gladstone's Library.

I had visited before and was very eager to go back and explore the grounds in more detail. I love to photograph historical architecture.

Walking up the path to Gladstone's Library put me in mind of a movie - I imagined my approach like a tracking shot following a small figure approaching a grand building.

Being near an old building allows you to feel history. That feeling followed me inside.

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I had heard so much about the Reading Rooms. I follow Gladstone's Library on social media, so I'm familiar with the pictures that capture the strings of lights on the Reading Rooms gallery, the wooden columns, the towers of books.

But when I walked inside, I felt a smile spread across my face. Being there gave me a great sense of wonder.

From a young age I have had quite an interest in books. My dad had taken to reading me bedtime stories of fantasy like the Harry Potter series and the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series.

Being introduced to the excitement and escapism of fiction books at a young age helped me to venture out into nonfiction.

As I grew up and went through high school, I began taking in new interests that like history, delving into history books on the World Wars and on political figures like Karl Marx.

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So having the opportunity to see all these different books, some in cloth and leather, others in modern perfect-bound covers, really interested me. There are crisp, perfect, modern silky spines, and also books in rustic leather - I just wanted to pick up and stroke them!

I've learned that anyone can sign up as a Reader to use the Reading Rooms on a regular basis, but you can't just walk in, so these spaces sit somewhere between public and private.

It feels homely, warm and grand at the same time, like walking into somebody's personal library, someone who has taken very good care of the books.

I really hope to come back and study in the rooms as it feels quite cosy with all the books surrounding you, though I may have to stop myself from getting distracted by how pretty it is!