Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde and the Municipality of Hunter's Hill.

The nearby Gladesville Bridge (a Sydney landmark that links the North Shore to the Inner West) takes its name from the suburb.

[6] A major milestone in the development of the suburb was the establishment of the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum in 1838,[7] on the banks of the Parramatta River.

Banjo Paterson lived in the sandstone house (now a restaurant) whilst attending Sydney Grammar School.

They anchored and caught themselves feeds of fish which they cooked on their little galley fires, the scent of frying re-bream mixing not unhappily with the aroma of guavas, grapes, and the big hautboy strawberries which now seem to have gone out of fashion.

They would strike Sydney some time or other, and would deliver their cargo into horse-drawn carts and then point the boat’s nose up river again, back to the gardens and the spitting of fire wood with wedges and American axes.

"Halmeg Linseed oil was manufactured on a two-point-zero-hectare (five-acre) mill located at the end of Punt Road, overlooking Glass Bay.

The linseed oil was used in the manufacturing of lead paint and varnish, as well as putties, caulking compounds, printing inks and linoleum.

Riverside Girls High School is a short distance away from Gladesville, located in the suburb of Huntleys Point.

St Joseph's College (Boys) and Villa Maria Primary School are located in Hunters Hill.

The majority of people (65.5%) stated they were born in Australia, with other top responses being China 4.2%, England 3.5%, Italy 1.9%, New Zealand 1.8% and India 1.2%.

A number of restaurants and cafes are situated nearby, serving a variety of cuisines including Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Greek, Mexican and Italian.

Despite complaints by many local residents to preserve the existing mix of boutique shopping and low density housing, the local municipal council has committed the suburb to high density residential redevelopment and strip mall shopping centres.

A number of bus routes run along this road, connecting the suburb to Sydney CBD and Ryde, with some services continuing as far as Parramatta.