• Chester Borderlands •

St Deiniol's Library is Britain's only residential library. It was founded in 1889 by former Prime Minister and Hawarden resident, William Ewart Gladstone, and houses a unique collection of more than 250,000 books, pamphlets and journals.

But St Deiniol's is more than just a library. It offers overnight accommodation, conference rooms, a coffee shop and an exhibition about the life and work of William Gladstone. Whether you stay for a month or just pop in for lunch or a cup of coffee, we hope that you will enjoy your visit.

The Gladstone Exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 10.00 a.m. - 4.15 p.m. (10.00 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. on Saturday). Admission is free.


The Coffee Shop is open Monday to Friday from 10.30 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. and from 3.30 p.m. - 4.15 p.m. (10.30 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. on Saturday).

Group tours of the Library are available on request.