Become a Friend of The Morrab Library
The Library has recently launched The Friends of The Morrab Library scheme, as a focused fundraising initiative. This is a heartfelt appeal to our valued membership – more than 900 strong – to consider becoming a Friend by setting up a regular donation by direct debit. Find out more HERE.
Miles for The Morrab
During September, we’re inviting members and the wider community to walk the beautiful Penwith peninsula. The full route covers more than 50 miles of spectacular coastline and countryside, starting and finishing at The Morrab Library, but it’s been divided into ten (approximately) 5-6 mile sections so you can take part in whatever way suits you.
We invite participants, members and the wider community to support the campaign by donating and sharing it with friends and family. Together, we’re aiming to raise at least £5,000 to help safeguard the future of The Morrab Library.
The Crowdfunder is now live: Click HERE.
Search our online book catalogue
Our Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) via KOHA is now live and running, and you can now search for more than 12,000 of the library’s book titles online. Click here to find out more and start searching.
About us
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A rich resource for research, or a place to borrow the latest novel.
The Morrab Library is an independent library established in 1818, situated in the beautiful Morrab Gardens in Penzance, Cornwall. We hold over 70,000 books on floor-to-ceiling shelves as well as archives and a rich photographic collection. The library contains a wide range of both fiction and non-fiction books in the rambling rooms of a delightful Victorian building. The Morrab Library is a registered charity and depends on the support and generosity of our library community.
We are open Tuesday – Saturday 10am-4pm.
If you would like to support the work of The Morrab Library you can donate by clicking the button below.
Latest news
An Exploration into west Cornwall’s Maritime People and Working Lives, using the Photo Archive collection, by Samuel Hill
Our library was fortunate, and delighted, to host Sam Hill on a three month internship, where he worked in our Photo Archive. As well as no less than seven blogs you can find links to below, and delivering an entertaining talk about his time with us and the...
Our next display: Extraordinary Animals – Conrad Gesner’s Historia Animalium
The third display in our new exhibition case on the first floor takes you back to the 17th century, and a very special natural history book... Conrad Gesner (1516–1565), Historia Animalium, 2nd edition, 1617-1620. Volumes 1 and 2. (E596) This large volume comprises...
Fact and Fiction in Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand – an article by Jane Prince
Our brilliant Library Volunteer, Jane Prince, has written this fascinating article about Daphne du Maurier and her novel The House On The Strand. Jane has explored how du Maurier used actual Cornish history in her writing, and also deviated from it for literary...
If there is an afterlife, I very much hope that those good enough in this one might be rewarded with an exact replica of the Morrab Library – to sit out eternity browsing its shelves, reading in its chairs, and looking out of its high windows.
If you like books, if you like history, if you like beautiful houses, if you like hidden treasures, if you like people, if you like peace, you will LOVE Morrab. In fact, if you are alive, you will love it there.
Whether you’re an impassioned bibliophile or just someone who loves a good read, the Morrab is for you: a Cornish treasure house, a meeting place for like-minded souls, and a vibrant forum for contemporary writing.