The Morrab Library - Penzance's hidden literary treasure
We've just finished another wonderful Reading Party. We waved our guests off on the train and they're all heading home, refreshed and revitalised, and with lots of book recommendations and some new friendships under their belts. It was an international bunch this time with ladies from the US, Norway and the Netherlands as well as the UK but one thing they all had in common (apart from reading, of course) was just how much they enjoyed the tour of the Morrab Library.
Founded in 1818, The Morrab is just one of 60 independent subscription libraries remaining in the UK and the only one in Cornwall. It has a collection of more than 70,000 titles gathered over its 200-year history as well as an extensive archive of local photographs.
The library has had a number of homes during its lifetime but since 1889 has been housed in a beautiful Victorian building in the heart of the subtropical Morrab Gardens. Day visitors are welcome and it’s the perfect place to read, research and write. Librarian Lisa Di Tommaso and her team are very knowledgable and friendly and if you happen to be in Penzance on a Friday afternoon then do try to join one of the guided tours where you can learn more about the collection and its fascinating history.
During the 18th and 19th century, when it took four or five days to travel to and from London, Penzance had a reputation for lawlessness. Smuggling was rife; there were tunnels for bringing contraband from the harbour into the centre of town while the infamous Carter brothers plied their illegal trade at Prussia Cove, just down the road from Middle Colenso Farm. There was a thriving legitimate economy too, centred on the export of tin and pilchards. The town had a military garrison and, despite the distance from London, tourists visited to enjoy the mild climate. As the middle classes and gentry began to prosper, Penzance’s cultural life burgeoned.
In 1818, three gentlemen got together to form a library. They were Rose Price, a young baronet and later an MP, Dr John Forbes who went on to become Queen Victoria’s personal physician and Davies Gilbert, an engineer, MP and President of the Royal Society. The trio initially rented rooms in Cummins Hotel in the market place but soon outgrew the space. For a while the library shared premises with the Geological Society in North Parade and by the mid-19th century, the growing collection was moved to the Public Buildings now known as St John’s Hall. It wasn’t until 1889 that the library moved to its current premises, a former private house in the centre of the Morrab Gardens.
It may have been the men of Penzance who officially founded the library but the town’s women played just as significant and arguably a more interesting role in its history. Women were officially admitted to the library in 1825 but to understand why we must go back more than 50 years to 1770.
In November of that year, 22 women got together for the first time to take tea and form the Penzance Ladies’ Book Club. These were the wives of the town’s lawyers, bankers, mine owners and customs officers but at a time when women’s education was in in its infancy (and indeed frowned on in some circles), it’s truly remarkable that so many of them were sufficiently educated to be able to participate in a book club.
The Morrab Library still has their minute book in which they recorded their rules - No gentleman shall be admitted to membership is the first - and what they were reading. Members subscribed a small amount of money and the lady president bought books to be circulated among the members. They read some lighter works, including travel books and letters, but they were also remarkably current with their reading. Their purchases for 1812 included Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and Sense and Sensibility. The Penzance Ladies’ Book Club continued to exist until 1912 but in 1825, the ladies offered their collection of books to the town’s library on the condition that women be admitted as members.
As you can imagine, The Morrab Library’s collection offers an insight into the reading habits of the people of Penzance for the last two centuries. It houses substantial bequests from a host of fascinating characters including the 19th century Napoleon expert Thomas Dawson and leading book collector and Shakespeare scholar James Halliwell-Phillips. Apparently Halliwell-Phillips wasn't beyond pocketing some of the books or manuscripts he was working on. There was a scandal in 1845 when he was accused of stealing rare codices from Trinity College Library in Cambridge. It’s tantalising to think there might be some stolen goods amongst the books he bequeathed to The Morrab but we’ll never know for certain.
The Morrab is a living library with a collection that continues to grow. Rather surprisingly, almost all of the books on the shelves can be borrowed. Some members never venture beyond the first room which houses contemporary titles but if you fancy taking home a first edition of a 19th century novel, it’s not a problem.
Part of the library’s charm is derived from the fact it’s housed in what was once a private home. Built in 1841 by Samuel Pidwell, a local brewer who twice served as Penzance’s mayor, it retains much of its original layout. Some of the rooms still have beautiful fireplaces and in places you can spot the original wallpaper peeking out from behind the books. There’s also an absolutely cracking view across Mount’s Bay from the first floor. The desks in these rooms are almost always reserved but I’m not sure how anyone manages to do any work there.
While there are few things more satisfying in settling down to read a book and gaze out across the bay, The Morrab Library is more than just a place to read; it hosts talks, workshops and other events. It’s a centre for culture and community and a much-loved Penzance institution.
Comments