The Morrab Library
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20 events found.

Events

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  • October 2025

  • Thu 16

    Artist in residence – Claire Lucas “In My Element” | 14th – 18th October

    16/10/2025 @ 10:00 - 16:00

    Our latest artist-in-residence Claire Lucas has been hard at work since August, working on her project entitled “In My Element”. Her residency culminates (or possibly starts its next phase!) in […]

  • Fri 17

    Artist in residence – Claire Lucas “In My Element” | 14th – 18th October

    17/10/2025 @ 10:00 - 16:00

    Our latest artist-in-residence Claire Lucas has been hard at work since August, working on her project entitled “In My Element”. Her residency culminates (or possibly starts its next phase!) in […]

  • Fri 17

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    17/10/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • Sat 18

    Artist in residence – Claire Lucas “In My Element” | 14th – 18th October

    18/10/2025 @ 10:00 - 12:00

    Our latest artist-in-residence Claire Lucas has been hard at work since August, working on her project entitled “In My Element”. Her residency culminates (or possibly starts its next phase!) in […]

  • Sat 18

    In My Element – a talk by Claire Lucas

    18/10/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

      Our next Library talk will be with Claire Lucas presenting, "In My Element" - Stories and Images From the Library. This will take place in the Reading Room from 2pm-3pm on Saturday 18th October. Claire  will […]

    £5
  • Wed 22

    Library Talks l Dr Russell Blacker – Musical archeology: the reconstruction of eleven works from the Eton Choirbook.

    22/10/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00

    The Eton Choirbook is one of only three manuscripts of English polyphonic music to have survived from the pre-Reformation world. Although a third of the manuscript has been lost over […]

  • Fri 24

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    24/10/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • Tue 28

    Relaxed Relaxed Book Group at The Morrab Library

    28/10/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    About the group: A friendly group for anyone who loves books but doesn’t want the pressure of a traditional book club. Rather than reading a specific book, we share what’s […]

  • Fri 31

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    31/10/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • November 2025

  • Fri 7

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    07/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • Wed 12

    Library Talks l “Three Nicholson Women” (Edie and daughters Anne and Liza) with Tim Newman

    12/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00

    Our next Library talk will be with Tim Newman, as he discusses "Three Nicholson Women (Edie and daughters Anne and Liza)". This will take place in the Reading Room from 2pm-3pm on Wednesday 12th November. Focusing […]

  • Fri 14

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    14/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • Sun 16

    John le Carre Memorial Lecture | “Living with My Father and Writing into his World” with With Nick Harkaway

    16/11/2025 @ 18:30 - 20:30
    The Acorn Theatre

    Nick Harkaway, author of the Sunday Times Bestseller ‘Karla’s Choice’ and son of John le Carré, will give the second John le Carré Memorial Lecture at The Acorn Theatre in […]

    £25
  • Fri 21

    NO LIBRARY TOUR THIS WEEK

    21/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library
  • Sat 22

    The Morrab Library Christmas Fair 2025

    22/11/2025 @ 10:00 - 14:00
    Morrab Library

      Yes, it's that time already! We hope you can join us for the annual Morrab Library Christmas Fair on Saturday 22nd November, 10.00am - 2.00pm. The Fair will feature […]

  • Tue 25

    Relaxed Relaxed Book Group at The Morrab Library

    25/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    About the group: A friendly group for anyone who loves books but doesn’t want the pressure of a traditional book club. Rather than reading a specific book, we share what’s […]

  • Wed 26

    Library Talks I Medieval wall paintings of Cornwall with Laura Miucci

    26/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00

      Come on a journey around Cornwall, exploring all of the currently known Medieval wall paintings in its parish churches. We will explore their saintly connections, historical context, associated features, […]

  • Fri 28

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    28/11/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • December 2025

  • Fri 5

    Free tour of The Morrab Library

    05/12/2025 @ 14:00 - 15:00
    Morrab Library

    All are welcome to join a free guided tour of The Morrab Library every Friday at 2pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about our beautiful independent Library and […]

  • Sat 6

    Morrab Library Members Christmas Party 2025

    06/12/2025 @ 13:00 - 15:30

    We are delighted to invite our members to the Morrab Library Members Christmas Party on Saturday 6th December from 1:00pm - 3:30pm for some festive fun! There will be a donations bar (cash or card […]

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Contact us

The Morrab Library, Morrab Gardens, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4DA
01736 364474
enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk
Registered charity No. 1204735

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morrablibrary

Will you be joining us on Friday for our free tour Will you be joining us on Friday for our free tour? Find out about the beautiful building we call home, the Library's history in Penzance and more!

Just drop in to the library to join this free guided tour - Friday 12th June.

#Library #librarytour #Loveyourlibrary #LovePenzance
With #Golowan starting this month - one of our fav With #Golowan starting this month - one of our favourite festive times in Penzance- we thought we would explore our collections for some information on its origins. William #Borlase, in his 1754 book, ‘Antiquities, Historical and Monumental, of the County of Cornwall’, describes some of the festivities back then:

“In Cornwall, the Festival Fires, call’d Bonfires, are kindled on the Eve of St. John the Baptist, and St. Peter’s Day, and Midsummer is thence, in the Cornish tongue, call’d Goluan, which signifies both Light, and Rejoicing. At these Fires the Cornish attend with lighted torches, tarr’d and pitch’d at the end, and make perambulations round their Fires, and go from village to village carrying  their torches before them.” 

 @go_all_in_2026
#NationalYearOfReading2026 #WilliamBorlase #Penzance
Volunteer’s Week is drawing to a close, and while Volunteer’s Week is drawing to a close, and while our 72 volunteers may be a little camera-shy, we cannot sing their praises from the rooftops highly enough!

Without them, putting it bluntly, there would be no Morrab Library. They bring the hard work, commitment, and joy to our special place.

An enormous thank you to each and every one of you!

#VolunteersWeek #Volunteering #Thankyou #SupportYourLibrary #GivingBack
With the start of Summer, our Photo Fridays theme With the start of Summer, our Photo Fridays theme for June is Holidays!

Here's the Watergate Bay Hotel near Newquay. 

Opening in 1900, the hotel was originally built in anticipation of a new railway that never happened. After serving as an RAF officers' mess in WWII, it was purchased by the Ashworth family in 1967. 

Has anyone ever stayed here?

Photo Archive Identifier: AEJ.140

#Library #exploreyourarchive #photoarchive #Newquay #Cornwall #hotel #holiday #WatergateBay #Summer #Seaside
On the 18th March, we welcomed Tom Greeves as he d On the 18th March, we welcomed Tom Greeves as he delivered a fascinating talk about Dartmoor poet and playwright, Mark Beeson.

You can find the talk recording on our link in bio.

#Library #lecture #librarytalk
#books #dartmoor #MarkBeeson
During Pride Month, we welcome Dr. Paul Taylor-McC During Pride Month, we welcome Dr. Paul Taylor-McCartney to discuss his new book 'Cornwall Uncharted: Mapping Cornwall’s Queer History of Concealment, Culture and Creativity', and the research journey behind it. 

In conversation with Gareth D. L. Rees, Paul explores how Cornwall’s towns, coves, chapels, studios and lanes shaped the ways queer lives could be lived, hidden and expressed across four centuries.

Enter the ballot to apply for tickets, link in bio.

#Librarytalk #QueerCornwall #CornishHistory #LibraryEvents
The prizes for our Summer Fair raffle on 20th June The prizes for our Summer Fair raffle on 20th June are brilliant, with first prize being this beautiful print from local artist and member, @sarahbellart_pz , who has generously donated this framed hand-drawn print of Penzance - you can even spot the library on it! 

Our friends at @penleeparktheatre have donated tickets to one of their shows, and @barton_books are supporting us again with a prize. There is also a very generous voucher donated by the beautiful @circa21pz shop in Market Jew Street, and with tickets only £1 a strip, it’s definitely worth joining us to enter the raffle alone! 

We hope to see you there.
#SummerFair #LovePenzance #SupportYourLibrary #SupportLocal
There's a new exhibition in our display case on th There's a new exhibition in our display case on the first floor. 

'Notable Appellations' showcases famous signatures from the archives collections, and features letters from #Wordsworth, #CharlotteBronte, #Shackleton, #Gladstone and more. 

Drop in when you can to come and have a look. You can also read our blog about the display through the link in bio.

#LibraryExhibition #LovePenzance #HistoricCollections #ExploreYourArchive #Autographs
A little bit of nautical terminology for our final A little bit of nautical terminology for our final Photo Friday of May.

‘Tucking a pilchard seine’ was when an exceptionally large catch was netted. The "tucker" was a smaller net used to keep the bulk of the catch in the main net (centre of picture) whilst the rest of the catch was carted away. This was reputedly one of the biggest "landings" recorded in this area, in the 1920s.

Photo Archive Identifier: FISH 8.007

#Library #exploreyourarchive #photoarchive #fishing #Cornwall #nautical #pilchard
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