Gladstone Library, Hawarden Roof Repair Works, Conservation and Restoration

Established in 1894, the Grade I listed Gladstone’s Library, located at the heart of Hawarden’s conservation area, is the UK’s finest residential library and only Prime Ministerial library, built following a bequest from four times Prime Minister of Great Britain, William Ewart Gladstone.
The current building, raised in 1902 and designed by noted architect John Douglas, was funded by public subscription. It is home to unique archival collections and is a destination for scholars from across the globe.

Quinquennial inspections carried out by Ainsley Gommon, supported by an extensive drone survey, identified deterioration of the existing slate and flat roofs and instability of foundations to the entrance porch and South West corner of the residential wing, as well as decay of structural steels, ashlar and rainwater goods.

Listed Building Consent, detailing a proposed programme of repair and refurbishment, was agreed with the local authority Conservation Officer, incorporating, where appropriate and non-visually intrusive, thermal improvements and the replacement of poor quality and incongruous modern windows and rooflights. Wherever possible, materials have been recovered for reuse – salvageable roof slates are to be relaid to match their original random diminished coursing, existing corroded and damaged windows repaired, unstable masonry reset and, where necessary, indent repaired, and deteriorated cast iron rainwater goods restored with any inappropriate composite substitutions replaced to match originals. Consolidation of the unstable foundations has been carried out by Geobear using ground injection stabilization techniques, avoiding invasive and potentially destructive traditional underpinning and the drainage failures responsible for the foundation movement have been rectified.

As is often the case when working with historic structures, additional repairs have been identified during the course of the works, those required to the Cupola supported by the generous donations of those responding to the Library’s “Save the Roof – Protect the Books” fundraising efforts, those to the large flat roof supported by the generosity of the contractor, Grosvenor Construction.

Works started on site Autumn 2025 and are due to be completed in the Summer of 2026.