On your marks...

The new extension is underway! Fences are up and and fencing, ready to be filled with machinery, and work has officially started. On Monday, there was a Ground-breaking ceremony, attended by committee, Cornwall council and, importantly, our generous benefactor Mr Myner. Mr Myner has been associated with the library for over 40 years, and is donating the proceeds of a legacy from his sister, Patricia, who died in 2010. With all the necessary approvals in place, work is due to be completed before the end of the year. We can't wait to get the much needed extra book & work space, the lift (which will enable us to be much more accessible) and the new room for the photographic archive. We'll keep you posted as things progress, and please bear with us during this time , we're sure there will be little obstacles to overcome but are certain it'll be worth it when we have our lovely new extension!

Slide Collection

FISH SL 0001 (slide collection 2)

April's offering from the slide collection is this delightful study of 'The Fisher Boy' with his oilskin smock and Sou'wester leaning against a wooden barrel on the newly completed section of the North Pier at Newlyn, circa 1890.

Behind him is the foreshore where small boats once landed the catches from the Mount's Bay Luggers anchored in Gwavas Lake.

Stacked in the background are piles of barrels, boxes and fish baskets, on the site where later, in 1907-8, the Mackerel Market and the Harbour Offices were. Basket makers and Coopers worked all year round to sustain the demand.

Further back is the area referred to as 'The Strand' at Street-an-Nowan. The Coombe river was diverted behind the new pier to create this scene.

This shot is particularly special as it shows part of Newlyn and the harbour area captured in time - lots of changes were to be made to this area around the turn of the century.

Introducing: New Chairman Bob

Bob joined the Morrab Library over ten years ago, initially attracted to the Newspaper Archive held here. He wanted to carry out more of his War Memorial research and needed the old Cornishman archive to do so. David & Mike got chatting to Bob while he was down in the archive and soon enlisted him into their Thursday morning team; sorting and cataloguing the old newspapers. At the AGM last month, after being a committee member for a few years, Bob was elected as the new Chairman of the Morrab Library. So we thought we’d better introduce him…

Bob was born in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, in 1942, and was educated at St Andrew’s College Dublin and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He served with The Royal Ulster Rifles, later The Royal Irish Rangers, and after a full military career in various postings and appointments, retired in 1999.

Bob now lives in Paul with his wife, Sue (childhood and lifelong friend of Annabelle, our librarian). They have a daughter, who lives in Kenya, a son in Truro and five grandchildren to keep them occupied. Bob’s passion as a military historian also keeps him busy, and he’s presently updating and revising the Book of Remembrance for Penzance. In his youth, Bob was a keen sportsman, but unfortunately sustained a serious rugby injury while playing for his battalion.  Keeping fit is now restricted to walking and gardening.

When he’s not being a Gardener / Military Historian / Chairman / Grandfather / Husband, Bob loves to escape into his study, put some music on, fix himself a Whisky, and settle down with a Lee Childs thriller (diverting) or an Anthony Beevor tome (serious).

Little known fact about Bob: He likes Meatloaf. The musician. (But probably also the meat dish - having been to boarding school and in the Army he‘ll eat anything!)

Round Up

Hello Folks.
We've had all manner of internet-related connection problems, which is why it's been so quiet on the Western front, but we are, *touch wood* back up and running so thought a little update on Morrab news was in order. In case you didn't see Annabelle's article in the Cornishman last week, here's a taste of what's been going on in the last month or so...


Building work on the library's new extension is due to begin mid April, after many years of waiting, hoping and fitting the never-ending intake of books into increasingly obscure places.  When the building work starts, things will be difficult for us and will inevitably cause disruption for our neighbours in and around the gardens, but it will be a short-term inconvenience for a long-term gain. we can only apologise in advance and do our level best to avoid awkward situations. Mr Myner has made a dream come true, ensuring that the library remains in Penzance and can continue to provide a service both locally and internationally.

Talking of international, look out for the American version of 'Who do you think you are?' on television soon - featuring Emmy award winning actress Edie Falco ('Carmella' from The Sopranos). She and the whole WDYTYA team came over from Los Angeles. They took over the Jenner room for the day, and Edie was filmed consulting our newspaper archive. Every time the camera started to roll, everyone using the library had to keep absolutely silent. This was surprisingly difficult and made us realise how much talk and laughter there normally is!


Our president, A N Wilson, gave Penzance and the Morrab Library a warm and special mention in a recent edition of The Spectator - he'd watched the st. Piran's Day parade before coming to our AGM for the meeting + pasties and cream teas. At the AGM, we enlisted three new committee members and a brand new Chairman - Bob Harrison. We'll hopefully do a little introductory piece on the blog soon, so you can get to know your new Chairman, but in the meantime, he's been in the library lots, getting stuck in and seems to be enjoying his new role.