Free tour of The Morrab Library
2026-01-30 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-06 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-20 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-27 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-06 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-13 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-03-27 14:00 - 15:00 (Europe/London)
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 the collections within.
The tour begins at 2pm, it is drop-in and there is no need to book. If you plan to bring a large group (6+ people) please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk and we will do our best to accommodate you.
For accessibility information, please click here.
We also welcome visitors to the Library at any time during our opening hours (10am – 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday) when you are welcome to pick up a map of the Library at the front desk and explore the library

Library Talks l Mazed Tales Website Launch
2026-02-04 14:00 - 15:00
Our next Library talk will be with Mazed Tales, as they launch their new website. This will take place in the Reading Room from 2pm-3pm on Wednesday 4th February.
The corners of Cornwall are full of magic, piskeys on the moors, spriggans on the tors, giants throwing stones, and witches stewing bones. Enchanting tales once told by wandering droll tellers now fill a digital hoard.
Join storyteller and Mazed lead Sue Field and web designer Nick Harpley for the launch of the brand new Mazed website, a comprehensive guide to the traditional tales of Cornwall, linking tales to places and the people that told them.
We will use the site’s digital map to travel in the footsteps of giants, easily navigate the collection of over 150 retellings of old tales and use a mixture of telling and reading of webtales to bring a selection of the stories to life.
The pages on tale collectors will be introduced by Mazed puppets of William Bottrell and Robert Hunt, folklorists who both went to Penzance Grammar school.
Prepare to be entranced/spellbound… and aMazed!
Please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or call 01736 364474 to be entered into the ballot for a ticket. The ballot closes on 26th January.
Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5).

The Cornish Hedge Project
2026-02-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-07 10:00 - 12:00
The Cornish Hedge Project – A Community Textile Project with Vicks Harrison.

This project will produce 4 x panels 1.5 metres long(ish) representing the 4 seasons. Each panel will be made in 4 horizontal strips representing the wall, the area above and behind the wall, the ditch or area below the wall and a narrow strip with the creatures that exist in the soil, The project will be made step by step starting with Autumn in January 2026.

A diverse range of skills will be taught and used from simple expressive embroidery stitches to a variety of fabric manipulation. The emphasis will be on hand stitch skills. There will be teaching workshops for expressive embroidery stitches, padded applique, flat hand applique, 3d elements, like birds, padded worms, making a variety of cords and fabric manipulation.

The project is designed to help participants learn more about the importance of Cornish hedges and develop a wide range of design and hand stitch skills.

The project will take its inspiration from Cornish hedges so will involve an element of research for the participants. For those that are able I will be encouraging participants to go out and take photographs or draw. There may be some organised field trips.

Each panel will be given a seasonal feel by reflecting the actual flora and fauna present in that season in and around a Cornish hedge. There may be stuffed birds flying overhead.

Programme Start – Morrab Library all 10am – 12 unless indicated otherwise

27th January – Launch of project – Taster paper collage workshop looking at things like lichens and mosses that grow on the wall . Participants will be given pieces of the wall to begin embroidering

10th February – Taster How to turn stitches into expressive stitches. Textured stitches for mosses and lichens and a look at the kinds of unusual threads we can use.

24th February – Session working on the pieces we have begun

10th March – Making the dimensional ivy leaves. This will be an introduction to how we will make the ivy leaves. There will be many leaves and both flowers and berries moving across the panel and onto the start of the second panel.

24th March – Session working on the pieces we have begun

7th April – Collage workshop – paper collage birds – learning to design with paper collage. We will also begin to look at the creatures we will make for the ivy.

Library Talks l Women's Work - A poetry reading
2026-02-18 14:00 - 15:00
Our next Library talk will be with Vivienne Tregenza and Abigail Ottley, with ‘Women’s Work’, a poetry reading. This will take place in the Reading Room from 2pm-3pm on Wednesday 18th February.
Award-winning Penzance poets Abigail Ottley and Vivienne Tregenza will each introduce their first collections, published in 2025.
In ‘Out of Eden’ Abigail writes about the stories of working class women, both in her own family and more widely. These are poems of endurance and survival, both universal and empowering.
In ‘Conversations with Magic Stones’ Vivienne has written a collection of poems inspired by the life and work of Barbara Hepworth. They honour the hard-fought achievements of Hepworth as a female artist, as well as exploring the inner creative life itself.
Please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or call 01736 364474 to be entered into the ballot for a ticket. The ballot closes on 9th February.
Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5).

Super Spring Storytime with Jak Stringer
2026-02-19 10:30 - 12:00 | Morrab Library
Spring sunshine is nature’s alarm clock, telling wildlife to wake up after winter. You can see, hear, and smell the signs of newness as the season arrives with a rush of energy. The session will include garden weaving, vegetable sewing and flower collage.
Jak will be reading Sean Taylor & Alex Morss’ story ‘Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up’. This beautifully illustrated book offers an engaging introduction to spring, perfect for young nature enthusiasts.
Contact us at enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or telephone 01736 364474 to book a place.
Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5).

The Cornish Hedge Project
2026-02-24 10:00 - 14:00 | Morrab Library
The Cornish Hedge Project – A Community Textile Project with Vicks Harrison.

This project will produce 4 x panels 1.5 metres long(ish) representing the 4 seasons. Each panel will be made in 4 horizontal strips representing the wall, the area above and behind the wall, the ditch or area below the wall and a narrow strip with the creatures that exist in the soil, The project will be made step by step starting with Autumn in January 2026.

A diverse range of skills will be taught and used from simple expressive embroidery stitches to a variety of fabric manipulation. The emphasis will be on hand stitch skills. There will be teaching workshops for expressive embroidery stitches, padded applique, flat hand applique, 3d elements, like birds, padded worms, making a variety of cords and fabric manipulation.

The project is designed to help participants learn more about the importance of Cornish hedges and develop a wide range of design and hand stitch skills.

The project will take its inspiration from Cornish hedges so will involve an element of research for the participants. For those that are able I will be encouraging participants to go out and take photographs or draw. There may be some organised field trips.

Each panel will be given a seasonal feel by reflecting the actual flora and fauna present in that season in and around a Cornish hedge. There may be stuffed birds flying overhead.

Contact Vicks Harrison directly for mroe information: vickyvicks@btinternet.com

Programme Start – Morrab Library all 10am – 12 unless indicated otherwise

27th January – Launch of project – Taster paper collage workshop looking at things like lichens and mosses that grow on the wall . Participants will be given pieces of the wall to begin embroidering

10th February – Taster How to turn stitches into expressive stitches. Textured stitches for mosses and lichens and a look at the kinds of unusual threads we can use.

24th February – Session working on the pieces we have begun

10th March – Making the dimensional ivy leaves. This will be an introduction to how we will make the ivy leaves. There will be many leaves and both flowers and berries moving across the panel and onto the start of the second panel.

24th March – Session working on the pieces we have begun

7th April – Collage workshop – paper collage birds – learning to design with paper collage. We will also begin to look at the creatures we will make for the ivy.

Relaxed Book Group at The Morrab Library
2026-02-24 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-31 14:00 - 15:00
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 on our bookshelf or simply come for tea, biscuits and company in the beautiful book-filled atmosphere of The Morrab library.
No library membership is required and there’s no compulsory reading list.
Audiobook listeners are just as welcome as traditional readers.
We explore all types of books, swap books and share recommendations. Our discussions focus on what we’re looking for in a book and whether and when, we’ve found it.
When: The last Tuesday of the month, from 2pm-3pm. The first session will take place on Tuesday 25th March
Where: The Morrab Library, Morrab Gardens, Penzance, TR18 4DA
How to book: To join the group contact Jo Buckingham by email jo.buckingham.palace@gmail.com
Suggested donation £3.
About the group leader:
Joanna Buckingham started her first relaxed book group with friends in 2019 and got the idea of starting one at Morrab Library when working as a social prescriber as a way of creating supportive communities.
She loves the camaraderie and support of doing things in groups and the immersive experience of reading. She loves reading widely across many genres.
She’s organised group events and experiences in such diverse locations as tall ships and tin mines.
Joanna has set up and supported numerous groups whilst working in the museum and adventurous activity industry and as a social prescriber.
She is a level 3 trained counsellor and knows the importance of both being a good listener and having a good book to fall back on in times of need (Cold Comfort farm by Stella Gibbons always works for her)

Library Talk: Mrs Delaney - The Cornish Connection with Liz Woods
2026-03-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Morrab Library
Wednesday 4th March
2pm-3pm. Reading Room at the Morrab Library.
Enter the ballot to join Liz Woods, author of ‘Cornish Feasts and Festivals’ as she delivers a talk about Mary Delany, notable english artist and letter writer.
Mrs Delany began her life’s work when she was over seventy. Her thousands of botanical paper cuts are now in the British Museum, but her family and her early life are inextricably linked to Cornwall and eighteenth century Cornish politics. This is the story of villains in many guises and one extraordinary heroine.
TICKETS:
Tickets are allocated by a ballot system. Please email: enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or call 01736 364474 to be entered into the ballot for a ticket. The ballot closes on Monday 23rd February.
Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5). Refreshments will be provided.

Come and explore our Library's Archives
2026-03-12 10:00 - 15:00 | Morrab Library
Join us once again as we delve into The Morrab Library’s archive collection to bring you some more of its treasures. The Archive Open Day will be held in the Reading Room between 10am-3pm on Thursday 12th March.
At this Open Day, you’ll be able to see a variety of fascinating items from our extensive archive collections. These include a design plan of the Morrab Gardens from 1889, Christmas cards sent to and from Lamorna Birch, pages from the minutes of the Penzance Ladies Book Club established in 1770, a scrapbook capturing information about the solar eclipse of 1999, and much, much more…
The archive collections have been donated and collected over the last 200 years and this is an opportunity to get to know about the some of the important and special items we care for.
You don’t need to book, just drop in, and if you are inspired to make a donation towards the care of these incredible collections on the day, we would be very grateful.

Shelter From The Storm: Cornish Saints and Winter Tales - a workshop and talk
2026-03-14 10:00 - 12:30 | Morrab Library
Join local historian Evie Bond on Saturday 14th March for a talk and workshop, as she explores the tales of Cornish saints who offered protection and guidance through wild winter weather.
Evie will talk on the legends of saints whose stories speak of storms weathered, seas calmed, and winter’s passing.
Following the presentation, and inspired by these stories, you will create small artworks using copper foil embossing.
This event offers an atmospheric blend of history, storytelling and creativity before the arrival of spring— perfect for those who love hearing unique Cornish stories.
Booking:
Tickets cost £15, including supplies for the workshop, and spaces can be booked directly with Evie via email at : cornwallhist@outlook.com

Library Talk: ‘Dartmoor Elements – the ecological poems and play extracts of Mark Beeson’ by Tom Greeves
2026-03-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Morrab Library
Mark Beeson (1954-2022) was trained as a classicist and primatologist. From 1989-2022 he was artistic director of Manaton & East Dartmoor Theatre (MED Theatre) which he founded. Mark’s greatest legacy is his creative and ecological writing of poetry and plays relating to Dartmoor. As long ago as 1980 his epic poem – The Walk – won a prize in an international poetry competition, where it was admired by Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Charles Causley and Philip Larkin.
Dartmoor Elements (published in 2025) brings together 133 of Mark’s poems and poetic play extracts, which are intimate reflections on his familiar environment of Dartmoor, drawing on decades of keen observation of his surroundings and of the creatures (both animal and human) who inhabit it, as well as on his deep knowledge of the moor’s folklore and culture. With Gillian Webster, Tom Greeves edited Dartmoor Elements, which forms the most significant collection of Dartmoor poetry ever published. The poems are accessible and often deeply moving, and contain much ecological wisdom.
TICKETS
Tickets are allocated by a ballot system. Please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or telephone 01736 364474 to be entered into the ballot.The balot closes on Monday 9th March.
Entery to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support the library (suggested £5).
Refrehments will be provided after the talk.

No tour of The Morrab Library
2026-03-20 14:00 - 15:00
There is no free tour of the Library today as we prepare for our Spring Fair. We hope to see you there!

The Morrab Library Spring Fair
2026-03-21 10:00 - 14:00 | morrab gardens
We hope you can join us for the Morrab Library Spring Fair, taking place on Saturday 21st March from 10am until 2pm.
As ever, there will be stalls throughout the Library (inside and out!) featuring local makers showcasing their crafts, as well as many plants, second-hand books and historic photos for sale, alongside our raffle. The much-loved refreshments room will return with delicious homemade cakes.
Some of the stalls will be cash only, so please bring some change along with you to help support your library.
Members and non-members alike are all welcome, so please bring friends and family along too.
We hope to see you there!

Library Talks l Lewis Carroll: Strange but True with Sarah Menage
2026-04-01 14:00 - 15:00
Our next Library talk will be with Sarah Menage entitled “Lewis Carroll: Strange but True“. This will take place in the Reading Room from 2pm-3pm on Wednesday 1st April.
We all know who wrote Alice in Wonderland! Or do we?
Following her challenge to Shakespearean orthodoxy, performer, song-writer and novelist, Sarah Menage invites you to follow her down the Carrollian rabbit hole, to examine popular assumptions about another fascinating literary genius.
Please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or call 01736 364474 to be entered into the ballot for a ticket. The ballot closes on Monday 23rd March.
Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5).

Library Closed for Easter
2026-04-03 - 2026-04-04

No tour of the Library this Friday
2026-04-03 14:00 - 15:00
There will be no tour of the Library this Friday as we are closed for Easter.

Free tour of The Morrab Library
2026-04-10 14:00 - 15:00
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 the collections within.
The tour begins at 2pm, it is drop-in and there is no need to book. If you plan to bring a large group (6+ people) please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk and we will do our best to accommodate you.
For accessibility information, please click here.
We also welcome visitors to the Library at any time during our opening hours (10am – 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday) when you are welcome to pick up a map of the Library at the front desk and explore the library.

Kernow to the Crystal Palace: Mary Kelynack’s Extraordinary Journey - a talk from Pamela Vass.
2026-04-15 14:00 - 15:30 | Morrab Library
In August 1851 a curiously dressed, elderly woman was seen trudging along Southampton High Street. Passers by couldn’t fail to notice her, she wore a huge beaver bonnet and carried a corracle-like basket on her back. She was a Cornish fisherwoman, she said, in her 84th year, and was walking to London from the Land’s End to see the Great Exhibition.

Mary Kelynack spent her entire life in the small community of Newlyn in the far west of Cornwall. Yet she became so inspired by the wonders of the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace that she resolved to go. Travelling by steamer, coach or train was beyond her means but there was one thing she could do – walk.

Before long she had become quite a celebrity – noticed at the Great Exhibition, taking tea with the Lord Mayor, interviewed by the Illustrated London News, modelled by a famous sculptor, having a song and a polka named after her… and even greeting the Queen.

This illustrated presentation reveals the truth behind the Cornish legend that is Mary Kelynack, covering her extraordinary journey, her adventures in London and her final, and previously unreported, adventure.
TICKETS

Tickets are allocated by a ballot system.

Please email enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or call 01736 364474 to be entered into the ballot for a ticket. The ballot closes on Monday 6th April.

Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5).

Refreshments will be provided after the talk.

Copies of Pamela’s book will be sold at the talk.

Super 'Spring' Storytime with Jak Stringer
2026-04-16 10:30 - 12:30
The amazing true story of Mr Ellis and the boat he built in his Cornish back yard in 1906. He had never built a boat before, but from old planks, boxes and the help of the community, something incredible happened! This session includes super fun activities such as building boats, sailing them on water, painting our community, and weaving fishing nets.
Super Storytime is a journey for 4 to 8-year-olds but there will be refreshments for the grown-ups they bring along. Booking is essential so please let us know if you would like to join us so we can make sure we have enough cake!
Contact us at enquiries@morrablibrary.org.uk or telephone 01736 364474 to book a place. Entry to this event is free but donations are welcomed to help support The Morrab Library (suggested £5).
