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Cornwall's only independent library, established in 1818.

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We’re delighted to announce that The Myner Trust has awarded us £150,000 towards essential drainage works on our Grade II listed building.

This is a major step forward in our plans to refurbish the Library’s original basement and, most importantly, protect some of our most vulnerable collections from damp and mould.

The drainage works will tackle the underlying problems and pave the way for the wider refurbishment of the basement — creating safer, more appropriate spaces to care for our collections and helping us bring more of the Library’s remarkable heritage back to life.

We’re hugely grateful to The Myner Trust for this generous support.

One important step closer to safeguarding the Morrab Library’s collections for future generations.

#MorrabLibrary #Penzance #Cornwall #MynerTrust #LibraryCollections #CornishHeritage #Heritage taken in The Morrab Library by @morrablibrary

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13 hours ago

The Penzance Old Cornwall Society are here till 3.00pm today, showcasing their fascinating archives collections. They are celebrating their 100th anniversary!

Drop in to find out more about the history of our town of Penzance.

#PZOCS #PenzanceHistory #LocalHistory #LovePenzance #ExploreYourArchive by @morrablibrary

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3 days ago

For this month’s #photofriday theme we’re heading out to the hills of West Cornwall.

This quarter plate glass negative from the Stanley Opie archaeology collection depicts the gate way at Chun Castle.

#exploreyourarchive #photoarchive #chuncastle #penwith #westcornwall by @morrablibrary

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4 days ago

On Wednesday 28th October (2-3pm) Robin Knight, Recorder of the Penzance Old Cornwall Society, will uncover the story of Henry Jenner.

Henry Jenner was the Hon. Librarian of the Morrab Library from 1912 – 1927. After his retirement as Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum in 1909, he returned to his home of Cornwall, advocating the Celtic Revival, and publishing articles on Celtic languages, including his seminal book ‘Handbook of the Cornish Language’.

Tickets for this talk 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 19th October.

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

#henryjenner #cornishlanguage #celticrevival
#libraryevents by @morrablibrary

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4 days ago

Drop into the Library this Saturday (10th October, 10-3) to see some of the highlights of 100 years of archives from the Penzance Old Cornwall Society.

From minutes of its first meeting and involvement in the first Gorsedd Kernow, to pilgrimages and photographs, the items on display will be as varied as is the town of Penzance!

#lovepenzance #exploreyourarchive #archive #archiveopenday #historicpenzance #penzancehistory #photoarchive #oldcornwallsociety #penzance by @morrablibrary

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6 days ago

Laura Miucci is hosting a talk and workshop exploring Medieval society through their seal matrices.

A short talk will explore some of the real-life examples of seals, all found in Cornwall. After the talk, you can have a go at designing your own individual seal matrix.

Tickets are £12 each (plus booking fee).

Please book your space directly with Laura via the link here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/lorepiece/2294506?date=2026-10-22

#workshop #medievalseals #sealmatrices #Cornisharchaeology by @morrablibrary

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8 days ago

Join local historian Evie Bond for her talk, 'Forgotten Women, Sacred Landscapes: The Female Saints of Cornwall' on Saturday 14th November, 10.00am -12.00pm.

The landscape of Cornwall is filled with the traces of its saints. Their names linger in villages, churches, holy wells, and ancient stories. Yet many of Cornwall’s female saints, once honoured and celebrated, have largely faded from view.

Evie will reveal the lives, legends, and folklore of some of these women.

Tickets cost £15, and places are very limited. Book directly with Evie via email at : cornwallhist@outlook.com
Concession tickets are available.

#FemaleSaints #CornishSaints #HistoryTalk by @morrablibrary

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9 days ago

For this month’s #PhotoFriday theme we’re heading out to the hills of West Cornwall.

This photograph from the Zennor Wayside Museum’s collection depicts the lane into Zennor with Zennor Carn towering high above the village in the background.

#photofriday #exploreyourarchive #historicphotos #historicpenwith #westpenwith
#ZennorCarn #PhotoArchive #Zennor by @morrablibrary

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10 days ago

‘THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL and the evolution of electronic music’

‘On the evening of Monday 15 January 1968 parts of the UK were being battered by high winds, part of a terrible storm.

But the awful weather wasn’t enough to keep crowds away from Queen Elizabeth Hall, where the First London Concert of Electronic Music by British Composers was about to take place.

The concert was a sell out and hundreds of people missed out on getting tickets. The first work on the much anticipated bill is Potpourri by Delia Darbyshire, famous for her involvement with BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop and of course, as the composer of the iconic Doctor Who theme music.

Also in store for the audience are works by Tristram Cary and Peter Zinovieff. The latter premieres his work Partita for Unattended Computer. As the name suggests, there are no performers involved in its recital, just a teletype paper tape reader, sound producing equipment and the computer.’

An extract of an article taken from Southbank Centre website.

Our project is produced by @awenproductionscic in partnership with @morrablibrary
Funded by @heritagefunduk and The Myner Trust

Photos copyright The Morrab Library

Here we see Tristram Cary in the studio. Cary composing electronic incidental scores for the show’s earliest serials.

Peter Zinovieff

Peter Zinovieff in his studio

Serena photographed the transport of the computer to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the setting up, and the hoards of people arriving.

The storm didn’t deter the crowds who wait patiently on the stairs. Apparently Paul Mcartney was among them.

The performance. by @morrablibrary

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12 days ago

September has flown by and it's the final day to lace up your walking boots and take part in the #MilesForTheMorrab community walking challenge.

Don’t have time to go for a walk today (or is the weather deterring you)? You can still donate to our Crowdfunder campaign via the link in our bio (or you can search on your browser for www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/miles-for-the-morrab)

#MilesForTheMorrab #TheMorrabLibrary #Crowdfunding #Penzance #WestPenwith #Cornwall #CommunityFundraising by @morrablibrary

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13 days ago

As we gear up to this year's John le Carré Memorial lecture on the 25th November, a throwback to 2024. The programme of events for that year's John le Carré Memorial lecture included the @taswestcornwall’s commission of a portrait of le Carré by Gary Long, a well-known local artist and tutor at the St Ives School of Painting.

Gary visited the library to take his reference photos and fittingly depicted le Carré in the Library, with a member of Library staff shelving books in the background.

A pigeon painted in flight gives a nod to le Carré’s first memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life. The painting now resides on the staircase at the library.

Book your tickets for this year's talk with Jonny Geller through the Acorn Theatre, or find out more via our link in bio.

#johnlecarre #johnlecarré #anniversary #greatwriters #tinkertailorsoldierspy #thepigeontunnel #thespywhocameinfromthecold #thenightmanager #literature #espionage #literature #writers by @morrablibrary

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14 days ago

Floor to ceiling bookcases line the walls of our Reading Room, whispering histories to you from the shelves.

If you love our towering bookshelves as much as we do, then you can sponsor a book case as part of the Miles for Morrab campaign.

Choose your favourite shelf of books and we‘ll add a commemorative, engraved nameplate, where you can honour a relative, friend, or yourself!

Learn more about the Crowdfunder, and please donate if you can, via the link in our bio (or you can search on your browser for www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/miles-for-the-morrab)

Photo credit: Ian Kingsnorth

#MilesForTheMorrab #TheMorrabLibrary #Crowdfunding #Penzance #WestPenwith #Cornwall #CommunityFundraising by @morrablibrary

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15 days ago