We decided to drop in for a tour here on our second visit to Quebec City, mostly just to try something new. The tour was about an hour long and our tour guide's English was great. Plenty of jokes and interesting descriptions about the history of the place. This building was originally a jail when it was built, intended to reflect the ideology of a British man who was set on reforming prisons. Like many countries when faced with an influx of immigration, the population housed in the jail were disproportionately made up of immigrants being punished for minor offenses. It was later converted to an English-language college that didn't last very long. The building finally wound up becoming an English-language library that now serves as the English-language cultural center of Quebec City. The library is filled with artifacts as well. And that old library smell is heavenly! The tour was a little boring, but not terribly, which is the only reason I give it 4 stars. I would have liked some more photographs from that time to be displayed throughout (even though I know they're probably incredibly rare). I did find myself checking my watch, but probably because we came in starving. If you're a history buff, library nerd, or jail hobbyist (lol), definitely try to check this place out. read more

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This was a very enjoyable tour of a building that has been through a lot in it's life. The tour of the jail and the glimpse of living conditions during Quebec's history was excellent. The library was very beautiful. Definitely worth 90 minutes of your time. read more

As tourists in Quebec City, this was the one attraction that we were most excited about! Morrin Centre is a library that is built on top of what was once a prison. They have guided tours of the space in French and English throughout the week. We attended their 3:00pm English guided tour on a Sunday and were so impressed with our guide as well as the history of the centre!! I was amazed by how well they preserved the prison, the story behind it really paints a picture of what the days looked like back then. Their library is also gorgeous with antique pieces and historical figures all around. Morrin Centre is located in the heart of Old Quebec City and is walking distance from a lot of other attractions. If it's a rainy day in the city, I would recommend visiting this place! read more

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FUN PLACE TO VISIT FOR FANS OF AUTHOR LOUISE PENNY AND HER NOVEL, BURY YOUR DEAD The Morrin Centre offers an interesting glimpse into the history of Old Quebec. Admission to the Morrin Centre can only be by a one hour guided tour. The fee is $18.50 CAD ($16.50 CAD for seniors and students). Some might consider the admission fee high for what is a short tour of a jail, an unadorned large room, a classroom and a small library room (unless you are a fan of this novel, the Morrin Centre may warrant only a 3 star rating). As fans of author Louise Penny, we had to visit the Morrin Centre that was the setting for the Chief Inspector Gamache murder mystery novel, Bury Your Dead. Perhaps because no one else on our tour volunteered they were Louise Penny fans, the tour guide did not point out anything highlighted in the novel. The building housing the Morrin Centre was originally built as a jail. The tour begins with a visit to the jail and an exhibit of artifacts. There is also a database where visitors can search the names of the thousands of prisoners housed at the jail in the 1800s. The building was later converted into a college and then a library that is currently managed by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. The tour stops by a large space that was used as a ballroom and a science lab classroom where the tour guide discussed the role of the college and library as the cultural center of the English-speaking minority in past and present Quebec. Being Louise Penny fans, the library was the highlight of the tour - as described in the novel, we saw the statue of General Wolfe under which Chief Inspector Gamache researched the Battle of Quebec and read his daily office correspondence. Just as depicted in the novel, on the windowsill, we saw the bust of James Douglas who was a founder of the Lit and His and as portrayed by Penny, Douglas was a grave robber who also collected mummies and played a key part in the novel's mystery. read more

Came here to work since the library next door was closed (they're on strike). Paid 5CAD to work/use their wifi here. It's a historical building with a lot of info/artifacts on display around the building. There were tours going on while I was here. WiFi was meh so we left to find better wifi. Would recommend coming here if you're a history buff. read more

Morrin Centre - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Zero stars would work better. If you're in QC skip this joke of an attraction. Building not nice. Collection not impressive. Not even a little. Reading space is either roped off or not conducive to reading. Historical significance of the place is .... Used to be a prison? And the pictures in the wall mean something. Very little of something. Love history. Love books. Visit many libraries. Never felt more like a hoodwinked tourist than in this place which had the nerve to charge real currency (5 Canadian) to enter -- just to enter. My goodness. Please take in the many many other beautiful worthwhile sights of QC and don't waste your time here. read more

Amazing history and they have maintained so many of the original artifacts and infrastructure. It's an active library that has so many old books. Absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend the tour! read more

Morrin Centre - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

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Morrin Centre has quite a history - this site used to be military barracks, later a jail was built, and then a school. So once upon a time there were gallows, now it has an English-language library and a cultural centre! Note you have to take off your shoes in the winter to enter the library. There is quite a collection of books and a scene-stealing staircase. I saw some youths studying in the back. As in, gasp, reading books! I wasn't able to take the prison tour that I was interested in, but they have one called a Discovery tour: Fridays to Sundays, 11 am - 6 pm, throughout the months of November and December. Each tour lasts approximately one hour, and is available in English or French. So go & learn something new! read more

Morrin Centre - library - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

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The Morrin Cultural Center has an amazing discovery tour that takes you through the building and its history in an engaging and effective manner. The tour guides don't ramble on and on to the point of you tuning them out, but instead keeps the historical explanations and descriptions succinct and interesting. The tour guide I had was super sweet and even let our tour group visit the upper level of the library (typically restricted access) since we were a "good group". I personally thought that the tour made it really enjoyable to learn about the history of the building, and how it went from being a prison, to a school, and now a library/cultural center. On the discovery tour, you'll be allowed to explore the prison (warning: really dim and musty), library, science laboratory, and other rooms. Be sure to check when the touring hours are beforehand! read more

Morrin Centre - My tour guide at the upper level of the library - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Came here on a raining day, as I was trying to find a good indoor place to spend the time. The museum is not big but very interesting. You can only go through the museum by the guided tour, cannot do by yourself. English and French tours are available. The building was used as a prison at the beginning, then Mr. Morrin started the 1st English college here as the number of English speaker grow a lot during that time. Here was also one of the earliest college accept female student. Later the college closed as many English speaker moved to Montreal and Ottawa. The library is very beautiful! Very tiny and beautiful library still serve it functions. Definitely a must see when you come. read more

This was one of our favorite stops in Old Quebec. The Morrin Centre offers a terrific tour of this historic building, which has served many purposes. Most people visit (and the place is promoted) because it was once a prison, and portions of the building contain the cells and exhibits on crime and punishment. You can learn some gruesome history about executions and floggings and a bit about prison reform. You can see a cell where people were held in solitary confinement without light (but with rats), and can imagine what it was like to use a hole in the floor as a toilet (but be careful, because the hole in the ceiling directly above is someone else's toilet--it was good to be on the fourth, or top, floor!) The building then housed a university, and you can still see the room used for lectures and the old chemistry lab. Simply walking through this ancient old building, built in the early 19th Century, was wonderful. Some of the same old stairs still exist, and we tried to guess which panes of glass were original and which were newer based on how wavy they were. Finally, the Morrin Center became the English-language library, housed here since Since 1868. The library room is beautiful and contains a lot of interesting history. English-language tours take place on the hour and can be reserved on the Morrin Website. read more

What an interesting place. My bf and I did a tour here after hours that included the history of the place as a prison and leading up to its current place as a library/cultural center. If you're into dorky things like that, this was a cool side-activity for an hour! We get to see the prison units downstairs and get an idea of the times. A fun place to check out! read more

I got a great, informative tour of this building that's served as a prison, college, and now a non-profit, English-speaking library. Lots of random, interesting facts, and I was able to be put in solitary confinement in the pitch black with two strangers. So that happened. As an English-speaking librarian who speaks no French, I found the library itself to be a great oasis to sit back, relax, and do some writing and reading while on vacation. read more

Our tour guide Max was both knowledgeable and funny! We learned a lot and he pointed out a lot of interesting things. The history of the jail/college/library/science lab/cultural center (lol) is fascinating and is worth the money. read more

We toured the prison and school part, not the library. The prison tour was fun and informative. read more

Morrin Centre - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Quebec City, Quebec

Wow! We came in last minute for a 10am tour, and had a fantastic experience. Sarah was our guide, and she did an amazing job. We got to learn and see so much. Definitely recommend going. It's only $12!! read more

Visited here with my family on a trip to Quebec City. It is a very unique place, and was used for many different purposes throughout it's history. We found the tour very informative and our tour guide max, was very helpful. read more

Great tour, fascinating place, well worth your time. What a story: prison, college, library - and it is all still here! See the front door? There used to be a gallows right above it! Beautiful old science lab too. read more

A very interesting library. Beautiful old architecture. Free to see the library but must pay for a tour of the prison cells in the basement area. We didn't see the prison area but enjoyed the rest. Super nice employees! read more

Delightful tour guide and interesting place. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penney based her murder mystery there.