HAWARDEN, Wales — Flitting from the origins of mountaineering to the writing skills of recent archbishops, the bookish talk at the breakfast table seemed to suit the setting. Overlooking it all hung two portraits of Britain’s high-minded 19th-century Liberal prime minister, William Gladstone, staring down with a severe look.

The restaurant at Gladstone’s Library, close to the border between Wales and England, is called Food for Thought, and the caterers have been busy recently.

Interest has surged in an institution that houses Gladstone’s books and papers and that sees itself as a temple of liberal values, delighting its director, Peter Francis, who believes the trend is a reaction to the rise of populism in Britain.

Last year, Britons voted to quit the European Union after a notably shallow referendum debate. Now, a badly divided electorate faces a general election at a time when politicians are generally held in low esteem and amid anxieties about the spread of fake news.