Library closed for Easter
The Library will be closed on Friday and Saturday (3rd and 4th April), and will reopen as usual on Tuesday 7th April. There will be no tour of the Library on Friday 4th.
More technology issues.
We’re sorry to say our phone lines are down again, and the internet is running very slowly today, while we try and find a way to fix things – please bear with us!
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.
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
Displaying our Library’s Treasures
We are excited to tell you about a special new addition to the library - a purpose built display case. This will allow us to install a rotating exhibition of rare and important treasures from our book and archive collections, which are usually kept locked away in...
Morrab Library named as one of the UK’s most enchanting libraries
Photo: Ian Kingsnorth We are excited to say that The Sunday Times has named The Morrab Library as one of the UK's most enchanting libraries! We are in some illustrious company too. Of course, it's no secret to those who already know about our beloved...
New books purchased in Autumn/Winter 2025
Click on these links to see the lists of books purchased by the library in the Autumn and Winter of 2025. Don’t forget you can make your own suggestions via the book at the front desk – or just get in touch with library staff. The Book Selection Committee meets three...
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.