Penlee House Gallery & Museum
Penlee House, Penzance, is the only Cornish public gallery specialising in the Newlyn School artists (c.1880 - c.1940) including Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes, Walter Langley, Harold Harvey and Laura Knight. Set in an elegant Victorian house and park, Penlee House also covers West Cornwall's archaeology and social history, and offers an excellent café and shop.
Built in 1865 as a gracious Victorian home, Penlee House has been converted to create a first class gallery and museum set within an attractive park. It specialises in showing the area’s unique, rich cultural heritage incorporating the historic collections of Penzance Town Council, Penwith District Council (now incorporated into Cornwall Council) and Newlyn Art Gallery.
The Galleries
A programme of changing exhibitions celebrates the skill and craftsmanship of painting in west Cornwall in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, usually including the world famous ‘Newlyn School’ and Lamorna Group artists, such as Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes, Walter Langley, Harold Harvey, Lamorna Birch and Laura Knight.
The Art Collection
Penlee House has a permanent collection of paintings which is actively being developed. Some of the best known works include The Rain it Raineth Every Day by Norman Garstin, School is Out by Elizabeth Forbes, Among the Missing by Walter Langley and On Paul Hill by Stanhope Forbes. Please note that although each exhibition includes selected works from our collection, there is no permanent display and the galleries are often closed between exhibitions: please check the What's On - Exhibitions section to find out what is on show before making a special journey.
The Museum
Founded in 1839, the museum collections cover 6000 years of history in west Cornwall, from Penwith’s awe-inspiring archaeological sites to the area’s more recent social history. The recently refurbished social history gallery houses a wealth of artefacts covering the area's fascinating and often quirky heritage.
The Orangery Café
Our delightful licensed café, with its sun-bathed terrace overlooking the park, offers a range of coffees, afternoon tea with home baked cakes and freshly prepared light lunches, using the best of local produce.
The Shop
Our well-stocked shop offers a wide range of prints, books, gifts and souvenirs. A mail-order service is available - click here to go to the Shop page to view our current mail order catalogue.
Penlee Park
Penlee Memorial Park, which surrounds Penlee House, was bought by public subscription in 1946 after an appeal by the then Mayor, Robert Thomas, who said "the Town Council are of the opinion that no better war memorial could be provided to those men and women from this Borough who lost their lives while serving their country in the armed forces, the merchant navy or the civil defence, during the war just ended".
The parkland surrounding Penlee House was initially planted by J.R. Branwell and included many rare species from all around the world. The family were friendly with the Dorien Smiths who still live at Tresco Abbey, on Tresco, Isles of Scilly. Photographs exist in their family albums showing the Branwells in the now famous Tresco Abbey gardens.
The garden also boasted productive orange trees which were in existence until the early 1940s. The name of the café in Penlee House, The Orangery, is a reference to those days.
Don't miss a stroll through this delightful, peaceful garden during a visit to Penlee House.
Another recent addition is the Sensory Garden alongside Penlee House itself, with planting designed to appeal to all the senses, together with a delightful water feature made by Michael Johnson at The Copper Works, Newlyn.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Admission Charges :
£3.00 adults, £2.00 concessions (including over 60s)
Children (under 18) FREE
Saturdays FREE (donations invited)
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday
SUMMER HOURS:
From Easter Saturday to 30 September, we are open from
10.00am - 5.00pm (last admission 4.30pm)
WINTER HOURS:
From 1 October to Good Friday, we are open from
10.30am - 4.30pm (last admission 4.00pm)
Open for all spring and summer Bank Holidays
Closed from 24 - 28 December and 1 January.
PLEASE NOTE:
Between exhibitions, it is necessary to close some or all of the galleries, so please do check what is open before making a special journey during those times.
In 2010, our exhibition rehang periods will be:
11 - 15 January,
15 - 19 March,
6 - 10 September and
22 - 26 November
Accessibility
Penlee House is fully accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs and we have an adapted toilet and baby-change facility.
There is seating provided in most galleries and a loan wheelchair is available.
There are three parking spaces available for disabled badge holders.
Address:
Penlee House Gallery and Museum
Morrab Road
Penzance
Cornwall
TR18 4HE