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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 55,000 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 floor to ceiling shelves in the rambling rooms of a delightful Victorian building.
We are open Tuesday – Saturday 10am-4pm.
Latest news
Book Review – The Loss of the S.S. Trevessa
Glancing through the shelves in the Jenner Room I came across a book with the title on the spine, THE LOSS OF THE TREVESSA. On opening the book I found that the title page read ‘1700 miles in open boats.’ The book was written by Cecil Foster, Captain of...
read moreWhat you can find in the Morrab…
If you go through the green baize door into the Reading Room at the Morrab Library, you will see in front of you a shelf with the title “What you can find in the Morrab”. The selection of books displayed will change approximately every month. It is intended to demonstrate the wide and eclectic range of material that the Library holds.
This month’s theme is “Books written in jail”…
read moreCharity Auction – The Gardener’s House Project
On the 1st November there’s a Charity Auction being held in aid of The Gardeners’ House project. You can read more about this exciting project on their website. The auction looks set to be a very special evening & there’s a dizzying array of things up for bid –...
read moreIf 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.
Philip MarsdenWhether 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.
John le CarréFormally 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.
Jessica Mann