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.
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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
Rebecca Harvey and Lucy Sparrow – new installations for their Artist Residency at The Morrab Library
Throughout 2024, ceramicist Rebecca Harvey and poet Lucy Sparrow have been working on a collaborative artist residency at The Morrab Library. Their work has responded to the setting and is a dialogue between their respective practices: poetry and porcelain. When...
Shakespeare classes at The Morrab Library
Mary Cahill MA runs a very popular Shakespeare class at The Morrab Library on Wednesday mornings from 10am-12.15. She has a limited number of vacancies in the group and the classes will start on Wednesday 2nd October. Come and enjoy a close read and deep exploration...
Reading List | The Bayeux Tapestry and the making of the Middle Ages
Mark Cottle has given many brilliant talks at The Morrab Library, and other venues locally, on subjects ranging from illuminated manuscripts to Arctic exploration. He always provides a Reading List for his fascinating talks and study days - and they formed part of 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.