A Son of the Rock

We were told Gladstone read about 300 books a year. They know this because he made notes on them.

That’s almost one a day! Substantial books too. And he managed all that while he was Prime Minister.

There are books on lots of subjects in the Reading Room of Gladstone’s Library which also contains his cabinet, housing objects he held in special regard.

Gladstone’s Cabinet, Reading Room upper floor railings and windows:-

From right hand side + windows and upper floor of Reading Room:-

Contents of Gladstone’s Cabinet:-

Ceiling of Reading Room:-

Lower floor, with view of upper gallery:-

Stairs to upper floor:-

Gladstone’s Cabinet from upper floor of Reading Room (plus a beardie bloke reading a periodical):-

Lower Floor from upper floor:-

Upper floor and part of vaulted ceiling:-

Upper floor:-

Upper floor bookshelves. (The library has its own idiosyncratic cataloguing system – devised by Gladstone as I recall):-