The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-02-14
MIR. Gladstone at Home.

1880 SAeAooOOA1O GU 11O1lIO.
Hawarden Castle, the seat of the Right
Hon. w. E. Gladstone, forms one of the
greatest attractions in the county of Flint,
and doubtless will long continue to draw
a constant stream of visitors DESTROYS Of
viewing a locality so intimately con-
nected with one of England's greatest
statesmen. The house is distant about
two miles both from the Queensferry
Station on the Chester and Holyhead
railway, and from the Broughton Station
on the Chester and Mold Branch, but the
greater number of tourists probably pro-
coed by road from Chester, which is a
drive of Just six and half miles each
way. The Castle stands in grounds of its
own, with a park outside, to which visi-
tors are freely admitted. More than one
third OF the entire county it owned by
only thirteen proprietors, of whom the
largest is Lord Hammer, with seven
thousand three hundred and eighteen
acres, while Mr.. Gladstone is the next
largest, with six thousand nine hundred
and eight acres, of which many are i'm
mediately round about his residence and
there are very few properties of similar
extent which comprise more agreeable
and diversified scenery-charming vistas
can be seen among the oaks, lines and
elms, interspersed with pleasant peeps of
UNCOVERED ruins and messy walls. 1t
is matter of notoriety that Mr.. Glad
stone delights in welding the axe, and
in performing the rough manual labor of
the common woodman He has here
abundant materials on which to exercise
his skill, and if the visitor arrives at a
favorable moment, he may perchance see
a tree several feet in diameter which has
been felled by one of the most intellec-
tual men Of the time, or view the Prime
Minister of England, with shirt-sleeves
rolled up, engaged in looping timber or
cutting frewood-tor Mr. Gladstone is
in no way ashamed of his pursuits, and
has even had himself photographed strip
ped to the shirt whilst engaged in his
work. His axes, which are said to exceed
thirty in number, many of them costly
presents from ardent admirers, are, how
ever, too sacred to be exhibited and are
amongst the few things at Hawarden
which are not open to the public gaze.
The church at Hawarden is at the north
ern end of the village, and externally is a
plain old building, with low tower and
dwarf spire. As almost all except the
bare walls was destroyed by fire about
quarter of century ago, the interior is
new, and it is trim and WE'LL kept, as
church should be. The principal approach
to the churchyard leads through rather
elegant iron gates, bearing over them the
inscription, Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving, and passes a venerable
yew-tree close to the church porch. On
entering this the visitor has almost in
front of him the reading-desk, at which
MIR. Gladstone reads the lessons whenever
he has an opportunity, and on his right
the bare, uncushioned family bench-for
In this church there are only open ben
ches, and none of those comfortable old
family pews with curtains, where man
of quiet turn of mind can take nap. In
nook close to the chancel there is a fine
recum bent effigy, in white marble, of Sir
Stephen Glynne, Bart, (born September
%, 1907; died June II, 1870, through
whom the Hawarden estate came to its
present possessors but the other slabs
and ornaments are paltry, and have no
public interest. The living of Hawarden
is stated to be worth $4,000 per annum,
and it Is held by the Premier's son, the
Rev. Stephen Gladstone, who lives at the
rectory hard by the church gates, a
building which has most repulsive ex-
terror, though it is said to be a comfort
able house to live in, and is often used by
the reetOrs father as a residence in pre-
ference to his own larger and more
pretentious house This latter is half
mile away, well hidden amongst lofty
trees.
The are several approaches to the park
and house, Of which the upper one, in
the middle Of the village, close to the
Glynne arms is the most imposing, and
the lower one the most picturesque. There
are two castles, the old and the new. The
former, now a venerable ivy-coverd ruin,
IS a building Of great antiquity, having
history extending back earlier than the
Norman Conquest; and it looks down
upon its modern castellated neghbor,
with its formal parterres and neat sur
The best general view of the
new castle is obtained from the slope lead
ing downwards from the old ruins and
looking from this direction, three windows
will be noted at the end of the ground
floor of the modern structure. The two