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A rich resource for research, or a place to borrow the latest novel.
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.
We are open Tuesday – Saturday 10am-4pm.
Latest news
“I Saw Red” by James Lee: Transforming the Story of the Minotaur into a 21st Century Novel
The latest novel by Morrab Library member, James Lee, was published earlier this month. I Saw Red is a retelling of the story of The Minotaur set in modern-day Spain. In this blogpost, James explains what inspired him to write this book, and reflects on why the...
Ilani’s review of Sky Song, by Abi Elphinstone
Our latest book review comes from one of our younger (and we must confess, favourite) members. Ilani has recently turned 9, and visits the library regularly to borrow books and ask the library staff challenging questions on all sorts of topics! She recently read Abi...
Adventures in the Photo Archive – more than just scanning photographs!
This blog comes from one of our dedicated team of volunteers who work in the library’s Photo Archive. David and his colleagues are the people who scan and provide context to the thousands of images that end up on the Photo Archive website (...
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.
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.
Formally known, in those days, as the Penzance Library, the elegant house in its beautiful garden had a welcoming atmosphere and BOOKS – rooms full of them, in shelves floor to ceiling, on every topic I could possibly want to read about…it’s…a treasure house, an island of civilization and tranquility in an ever faster and more furious world.