by The fireplace in the West End lounge was burning, its plume of smoke warming the room, wafting over its piles of books and works of art. Beside him, a barrel-sized basket, brimful of logs, ready to feed the flames.
William Gladstone – who was born 214 years ago today on 29 December 1809 – would certainly have approved. Those logs may not have been mined by this mass of Victorian politics – which loved swinging axes, literary and metaphorical – but its spirit was nonetheless palpable.
I was staying inside Hawarden Castle, the 18th-century, later Gothic-style mansion in Flint, which the Liberal prime minister inherited through his wife in the mid-19th century. Even during his four main non-consecutive terms, when this great reformer was grappling with taxation, free trade, voting rights and Irish relations, he spent a lot of time here. It is when he worked, read, hacked down trees; he also died there, in 1898.
Now, after a transformation by William’s great-grandson Charlie and his wife Caroline, one wing of Hawarden has just opened as perhaps the biggest holiday let in the country. Although a mutton bust of Gladstone is on the table and a portrait of him covers one wall, the West End is very much Charlie and Caroline’s vision.
“When I joined Hawarden, I had no interest in my family history,” Charlie Gladstone told me when we met (he lives at the east end of the castle). “I learned it by trying to bring it forward. As an estate owner, I want to be relevant. Hiring people, welcoming visitors. We’re bringing it to life.”
This creative couple, who have backgrounds in music, hospitality, homewares and interiors, have a passion – “I love things,” said Charlie. But not just any old stuff – beautiful, interesting stuff, rich in personality and originality that exudes something joyous and unique when thrown together (ie carefully curated). The West End, according to them, is a pure distillation of their taste.
Fortunately, their taste is great. Richly painted walls are shared by an eclectic ensemble: David Shrigley, JMW Turner, Julian Opie; clocks, pillars, portraits of Gladstone ladies. It can take a good half hour, moving at the museum’s pace, to go from lounge to loos (which are, of course, also filled with art). It’s the same in the five bedroom West End. In mine, one wall is engulfed by a giant 18th-century Don Quixote oil – “I bought it specifically for the room,” explained Charlie. “It took eight men to get it in.”
It seemed almost scary, waiting for so many (expensive) things in a building with history coming out of its eaves. But the West End was very relaxed and cozy despite all that. I quickly made myself at home, feet up on the couch, snuggled into Welsh wool cushions, book open, Miles Davis on the record player. There are no televisions.
In fact, you could easily stay in. A hamper delivered from Hawarden’s farm shop kept the kitchen stocked with goodies, including sourdough baked on site and honey from the estate. And one evening, head chef Adam Williams came round to cook: an indulgence of candle-lit roasted scallops, Tamworth pork and toffee-studded almond cake, without washing anything up.
The West End also has a private woodland garden, where you can toast a marshmallow or soak in the wood-fired tub, as well as access to a lake, if you fancy a wild swim. But there is more to do than that.
Outside the West End windows are the remains of an earlier pile, a 13th century castle, possibly built on Iron Age foundations. However, in keeping with the forward-looking ethos of the estate, it can also double as a yoga retreat.
Earlier in 2023, Hawarden opened the Walled Garden School, a cool, covered space inside the ornate Victorian garden where you can take classes in everything from signmaking to butchery; this is also where the Hawarden Summer Camp micro-festivals are held.
A group of us met yogi Emma Garland at the school HQ, before she led us out, across the grass, over the moat and up inside the ruined walls of the ancient castle. Emma led us through stretches and balances – challenging in the winter gusts – and told us to close our eyes, imagine the world. I tried to imagine Dafydd ap Gruffydd attacking here, as he did in 1282. But between the deep, quiet breathing and the soothing swaying of the trees, it was hard to imagine a bloody history.
But, the history – it stayed in my head. Although Hawarden is working in the future, it is deeply rooted in the past. As I followed paths into the estate’s Blueberry Woods, I thought of Gladstone wielding his axe; a thousand people would come to see him fell these trees: both a common farmer and the original man of corruption! It was a physical and political display that helped earn him the nickname “People’s William”. (Maybe the Prince of Wales has something to say right now.)
And when I entered the village of Hawarden, I was drawn to the Gladstone Library, which had been built on William’s bequest and contained 20,000 books which he himself had blocked.
But there was something even better. On the floor below the West End is the Temple of Peace, Gladstone’s own library. It is usually closed to the public, but West End guests can, if they wish, arrange to take a peek. Charlie and Caroline showed me inside.
The room mostly looked as if William had just left. Shelves of important gilded tomes jutted from the walls. His two desks still held his objects – one for private work, one for the public – from Downing Street letterheads to hedgehog paperweights. Charlie opened a cupboard, took out a yellow box: Gladstone’s business cards. And in the fireplace, an arsenal of axes, some of which are clearly used well.
However, it was not your age at all. Among the antique ideas and fittings were works by three contemporary artists, each trying to respond to the room. A scrawled map of the British Empire by activist Adah Parris raised the specter of imperialism, racism and William’s father, John Gladstone – owner of over 2,500 enslaved people.
Rather than shying away from this dark legacy, in August 2023, Charlie apologized for the family’s historical role in slavery, and is funding research into its effects. Looking at the future again.
“We can only change in our own way,” Charlie told me. Whether that’s taking an ax to an issue or developing a place like Hawarden so it can be enjoyed in new ways.
Fundamentals
The West End (07818 246118; hawardenestateholidays.co.uk) costs from £3,300 for a three-night weekend stay, £5,600 per week, sleeping 10. The West End can also sleep four, from £1,320 per three night stay, £2,240 per week. Mid-week stays are also available. Private dinner with Adam £90pp. Yoga classes at the Walled Garden School from £35; see the calendar for a list of classes.
