UCLA CLARK LIBRARY, Tea and Shaw in the Garden

UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

Last Sunday, my husband and I and several friends had a lovely afternoon in the garden of the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library enjoying a tasty afternoon tea as we listened to a lively reading by the Chalk Repertory Theatre of George Bernard Shaw's play Misalliance.

Cast of Misalliance (Chalk Repertory Theatre)

Before the play began we picked up our box of tea sandwiches and cup of tea (or lemonade) to enjoy under the shaded tent.

Tea sandwiches, strawberries and a scone

This was my first visit to the Clark Library, located in the West Adams district. The library is for researchers, but the beautiful 5 acre grounds, basically a park, are open to the public. The library, built in 1926, is a handsome brick structure modeled on other specialty libraries such as the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Morgan Library in New York. It is surrounded be spacious lawns, walkways, flower gardens and various nooks with sculptures and fountains.  I love the sundial "When the sun is not shining, I do this for fun."

Sundial sculpture by Eric Gill

The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, which is administered by UCLA’s Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies, is located on a historic, five-acre property in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles. The rare book and manuscript library specializes in the study of England and the Continent from the Tudor period through the long eighteenth century. Other subject strengths include Oscar Wilde, book arts, and Montana and the West. The Clark is open to students, professors, and scholars throughout the world and serves as the research laboratory for a distinguished array of fellows working either in early modern studies or the fin-de-siècle world of Oscar Wilde.

East lawn of the library grounds

Tours can be arranged by appointment. My writer friends and I plan to make this an expedition sometime in the near future.