Talking Terror at Gladstone’s Library

In late November, I had the pleasure of traveling to Wales for Talking Terror – two days of MR James scholars, enthusiasts and all-around good folk getting to nerd out over the ghost stories and academic interests of James and his circle. The location was Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden, and what a glorious site it is: a residential library, built in 1902 in that particular neo-Gothic style that evokes thoughts of spooky stories, but with a gentle reddish glow from the local sandstone, making it thoroughly warm and welcoming.

Inside, the combination of dark wood and a slightly maze-like layout – we’ll come back to the gorgeous Reading Room later – add to the atmosphere, and while it wears its ecclesiastical associations relatively lightly (and very much more social-justice-spirituality than fire and brimstone), there is that air of ‘church’ that adds a bit of mystery. The rebuilt medieval church of St Deiniol’s, with its tolling bells, and the graveyard behind the building complete the picture.

I have long wanted to visit Gladstone’s Library; indeed, what former archivist/rare book librarian would not relish the opportunity to sleep next to the collections? When the opportunity to combine a visit with some MR James fandom arose, I couldn’t resist. After all, it’s just a ferry-and-train (and taxi) ride away, right?

Well, sort of.

As it turned out, my Irish Ferries journey was delayed by 3 hours in each direction, though it’s still not clear why. There was no obvious ‘weather’ to complicate matters, but it made getting to the first evening’s entertainment (real ones will see what I did there) quite fraught. So while I just managed to squeak in for dinner – Gladstone’s Library keeps you fed, especially when it comes to the dessert courses – it was a much closer-run thing than it should have been. But while I missed some of the opening preliminaries, all was well: I made it in time for Robert Lloyd Perry’s candlelit performance of ‘The Ash Tree’ and ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad.’ Any Nunkie theatrical event is a treat, but the fireside setting and shadows from the candles made for especially effective staging; truly unsettling in just the right ways.

I didn’t linger long after the performance that evening, as it had been a very long travel day, and so I retired to my room; simply furnished, but with beautiful leaded windows overlooking the graveyard, and a most welcome bathtub. After an amazing night’s sleep, which was aided rather than impaired by the nearby church bells, I had a brief walk around Hawarden before breakfast. As a resident of North Inner City Dublin, seeing such a tidy village was a change – where was all the litter? The bus stop was not only covered, but seemed to be built from stone reclaimed from the nearby ruined castle wall, and the post office sold local baked goods and honey. I wandered up to Hawarden Old Castle itself (or rather, what’s left of it), to take in a view from a hill (sorry/not sorry), encountering only dogs and their humans – the promised sheep were nowhere to be seen. The Glynne Arms was beckoning to me, and I made a mental note to try to visit it later.

Back at Gladstone’s Library, I had lovely chats with other participants over breakfast, and then we were off to the themed sessions on MR James and women, and another looking into the role of spirituality in his works. Questions and discussion were welcomed – there was no sense of gatekeeping or pretension, with an entirely collegial mood throughout. After lunch, there was a break, and I took the opportunity to pop in to St Deiniol’s, which was a real hidden gem. As one of those confirmed unbelievers who likes a bit of church architecture, I was in my element. The medieval church had a Victorian restoration, but it was its rebuilding after an arson attack in 1857 that gives much of its current appearance, with stained glass by Burne-Jones. For the MR James fans, the church is also notable as the place where EW Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury and father of EF and AC Benson, who were both friends of James, died. Obviously much more could be said about the talented and troubled Benson family – perhaps a session for next year?

And I did manage to nip to the pub, briefly – regulars know I never miss out on the chance to have anything on cask when I make it over to the UK. The Glynne Arms is a beautiful pub, with lots of light wood and cosy spaces. It may veer a bit to the ‘gastro’ side for some, but I found it warm and welcoming, with knowledgeable and friendly staff. The local ale was This Splendid Ale by Facer’s, but I especially enjoyed Border Bitter by Magic Dragon Brewing. The beers by the bottle at Gladstone’s Library, for the record, were Sunrise Pale Ale and Landmark Bitter, both from Hafod Brewing Company – the honesty bar was a wonderful feature.

Back at the Library, there were two pre-dinner sessions, a writing workshop and a reading session in the modern chapel – again, a soothing space that still felt welcoming to all. After another filling meal, it was time to head to the Reading Room for another fantastic Nunkie performance. This time, for a larger audience, Robert-as-James took us to Scandinavia, first with ‘Number 13,’ and then, ‘Count Magnus.’ I’ve always had an especially soft spot for Number 13, so was thrilled to see it live, as it were. And then, after the public were sent on their way, those in for the weekend gathered back together for more Jamesian discussion and drinks by the fireplace. All told, a thoroughly civilised way to spend an evening.

Another excellent night’s sleep and breakfast with new friends followed, but there was just time to fit in a real visit to the Reading Room before departing. It’s a gorgeous, two-level space, with soaring beams and little reading nooks throughout. The collection tends to the religious, political and historic, and it would be easy to spend several days simply relaxing here with some of the books. I did chuckle a bit at the very small group of books about Gladstone’s rival, Benjamin Disraeli, on one of the shelves.

The trip home to Dublin was, as mentioned, once again delayed, but with a bit more advance notice, I spent more time in Chester, rather than in the rather less salubrious environs of Holyhead, before finally getting home – and there wasn’t even a voucher for a free tea this time!

But travel delays notwithstanding, it was a wonderful weekend, and I hope there is, indeed, an even more expanded event next year. In future, I’d aim to get in earlier to spend more time around the Hawarden Estate (and, most likely, specifically the Glynne Arms) before diving in to the Reading Room. The staff at Gladstone’s Library cannot be praised highly enough; they managed to bring a deft command to each aspect of the weekend’s activities, whether that was moderating a panel, explaining the collections, managing the overall time and even making sure late arrivals got fed. It’s a rare mix of skills and experience to be equally good at the collection management and (in this case) very public-facing parts of this job – well done to all.

And did you know you have a few months left to Befriend a Book?