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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
14th January- Library closed due to weather
LIBRARY CLOSED!! Due to the deteriorating weather conditions, the Council have made the decision to close the Gardens for the rest of the day, and therefore the Library will also be closed. We hope to re-open tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 10.00am as usual.
read moreImmy & Marlene – Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers
Looking back one of the highlights of 2019 was having these wonderful young ladies complete their Duke of Edinburgh volunteering with us. Their enthusiasm was completely infectious! Near the end of their time here we asked them to write a little something...
read moreChristmas Closing Times
Please note that the Library will close for Christmas at the end of the day on Saturday 21st December and re-open for business on Thursday 2nd January. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the new year.
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.
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.