The Morrab Library is an independent library established in 1818, housed in a Victorian mansion 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.Wednesday 22nd August: Formal Handover by the Hypatia Trust
Finally – A room of our own
In 2012 the Hypatia Trust launched a campaign called “A room of our own”– inspired by Virginia Woolf’s seminal feminist essay–to find a new permanent home for the Elizabeth Treffry Collection on Women in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and just over 6 years later this 3000-strong collection of books and papers has finally found a permanent public home at the Morrab Library.
Hypatia has permanently gifted the Elizabeth Treffry Collection to the Morrab Library with a number of fittings and accessories to aid the continued cataloguing of the books and archives for the benefit of the public.
Dr Tehmina Goskar, Heritage Lead for the Hypatia Trust said:
“This move has been a long time coming. Echoing the struggles many women face to have their achievements recognised, recorded and valued, I am both relieved and delighted at the Morrab Library’s offer to be the place where the only collection dedicated to Cornish women will reside. And what a year to do it, to mark the suffrage centenary–the possibilities for women’s studies and women’s heritage in Cornwall have gone up considerably. We have numerous supporters to thank for making this happen, but in particular everyone involved in the Heritage Lottery-funded History 51 project in 2013 and the Tanner Trust who supported the cataloguing of the collection.”
The collection of books, information boxes and archives covers a range of topics from Cornish women’s achievements to their literary triumphs. It also includes works by women who have adopted Cornwall as their home or for whom the Duchy has been an inspiration.
Lisa Di Tommaso, Head Librarian of the Morrab Library said:
“We think the Morrab Library is a fitting permanent home for the collection. The library celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. It remains one of the last independent libraries in the UK, and with connections to Penzance’s late-18th century Ladies’ Book Club it is a very appropriate home for this unique collection of women’s writing.”
In a room of its own that has been lovingly decorated and set up by the library’s staff and trustees, readers will be able to use the collection for research and inspiration from this Autumn.