Library access in the coming week
As we prepare for the Summer Fair on Saturday 21st June, please note that there will be no access to desks to work at on Friday 20th June from 1.00pm. There will also be NO LIBRARY TOUR this Friday (20th).
The Morrab Library Children’s Short Story Competition 2025
This summer, The Morrab Library in Penzance is running its bi-annual short story writing competition for children living in Cornwall.The free to enter competition is now open for original entries from young people aged 4 – 16. Closing date: Friday 11th July 2025 (4pm). Find out more HERE.
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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.
Watch a film created by the students of Penwith College in 2024 here.
Latest news
Vale Sheila Bradley
It is with enormous sadness that we let you know of the passing of Sheila Bradley. Sheila was a loyal volunteer for the library for over 30 years, working on so many different projects it is impossible to mention them all. As a member of the Book Selection...
Six books for new prose writers | a blog from our Writer in Residence, Peter McAllister
Our Writer in Residence, Peter McAllister, shares his recommendations of the best books about creative writing... "When starting my writing journey, I found it very difficult to know what advice to heed and from whom. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, a fixed idea...
Library member Patricia Wilson Smith writes for us about J.T. Blight – part three
The fascinating and tragic story of J.T. Blight has captured the imagination of writers and artists over many years. Library member Patricia Wilson Smith has written the third instalment of a blog for us about how Blight's story has inspired her...Continuing my...
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.