Library closed for Easter
The Library will be closed on Friday and Saturday (3rd and 4th April), and will reopen as usual on Tuesday 7th April. There will be no tour of the Library on Friday 4th.
Become a Friend of The Morrab Library
The Library has recently launched The Friends of The Morrab Library scheme, as a focused fundraising initiative. This is a heartfelt appeal to our valued membership – more than 900 strong – to consider becoming a Friend by setting up a regular donation by direct debit. Find out more HERE.
Search our online book catalogue
Our Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) via KOHA is now live and running, and you can now search for more than 12,000 of the library’s book titles online. Click here to find out more and start searching.
About us
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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.
Latest news
Library Discoveries: A lament for the past by the Revd. C. Valentine Le Grice (1773-1858)
One of our Library volunteers, Michael Malone-Lee, recently happened upon an unusual, witty, anonymously published poem in an innocuous volume in the Theology Room, dating from 1811. Enchanted and intrigued, Michael delved deeper to uncover its author, the Revd. C....
New books purchased in 2025 (so far)….
Click on these links to see the lists of books purchased by the library in 2025 to date. Don't forget you can make your own suggestions via the book at the front desk - or just get in touch with library staff. The Book Selection Committee meets three times a year and...
A fascinating new acquisition to the Library’s collections…
When former Morrab Library President and Patron John le Carré passed away in 2020, his extensive book collection was donated or sold across various locations. The library made the decision to acquire one of these volumes, which holds a particular special link to the...
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.