Penlee House Gallery & Museum

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Penlee House Gallery & Museum The artistic heart of West Cornwall's history, a space to relax, explore, and discover. Open Monday - Saturday

Owned and Operated by Penzance Council
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Penlee House Gallery & Museum is set in beautiful semi-tropical gardens in the heart of Penzance. Penlee House specialises in the art, archaeology and social history of West Cornwall. The collection of Newlyn School paintings (1880-1940) is one of the world's finest, including works by Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes, Walter Langley, Harold Harvey and Laura Knight. Changing exhibitions throughout the year highlight the skill and craftmanship of art in West Cornwall. Check our website to find out about our current exhibition. Admissions charges apply, please see website for details. Free family trails and regular free family activities are available. The Orangery Cafe serves delicious homemade cakes, light lunches and coffees. For more information see www.penleehouse.org.uk

Throwback Thursday 📸Market Jew Street, Penzance, 1955Harry Penhaul (1914 - 1957)The picture is of a busy day on the main...
15/10/2026

Throwback Thursday 📸
Market Jew Street, Penzance, 1955
Harry Penhaul (1914 - 1957)

The picture is of a busy day on the main street of Penzance. The volume of men and cars suggests that it could have been a market day.

Work of the Week 🖼️The Pied Piper: An Allegory of Spring by Elizabeth Adela Forbes ARWS (1859 - 1912). Mixed media on pa...
14/10/2026

Work of the Week 🖼️
The Pied Piper: An Allegory of Spring by Elizabeth Adela Forbes ARWS (1859 - 1912). Mixed media on paper and linen. On loan from The Bowerman Collection.

Taking its title from the German folk tale, this work was undertaken in
the field next to the artist’s then home at Trewarveneth, Newlyn,
which is visible in the background.

Currently on show in the exhibition The Art of the Newlyn School: Paintings from The Bowerman Collection until 9 January 2027.

Join the Friends of Penlee House for a fascinating afternoon exploring the story behind one of the country’s significant...
12/10/2026

Join the Friends of Penlee House for a fascinating afternoon exploring the story behind one of the country’s significant collections of Newlyn art.

On Thursday 5 November at 2.30pm, Mrs Janet Taylor, Chair of the Bowerman Charitable Trust, and Revd Simon Downham, Curator of The Bowerman Collection, will share insights into the passion behind the collection and explore the often-overlooked influence of Methodism and evangelical faith on Newlyn’s artistic community.

Discover the story of collector David Bowerman, his vision for sharing Newlyn art with the public, and the connections between faith, community and creativity in late 19th- and early 20th-century Cornwall.

📍 The Queens Hotel, Penzance
📅 Thursday 5 November, 2.30pm
🎟️ £7 for Friends of Penlee House | £15 general admission

https://friendsofpenleehouse.org.uk/events/talk-the-bowerman-collection-methodism-and-the-art-of-newlyn/

Image Credit: Albert Chevallier Tayler (1862 - 1925), Bless, O God, these Thy gifts to our use, 1887. Oil on canvas. The Bowerman Collection

12/10/2026

These are just some (not all) of the community highlights happening in and around Penzance this week.

Got another local event happening this week? Post the details in the comments! 👇

Or, if you have an event coming up in the next couple of weeks you'd like us to share, please drop us a message or email [email protected]

Penlee House Gallery & Museum Cornish Heritage in Penzance Redwing Gallery Waves Artisan Market Penlee Cluster The Gardeners' House Penzance

✨ Calling all little explorers (and their grown-ups)! ✨⁠⁠👶 Baby Sensory & Little Penlee Explorers session⁠📅 Monday 12 Oc...
11/10/2026

✨ Calling all little explorers (and their grown-ups)! ✨⁠
⁠
👶 Baby Sensory & Little Penlee Explorers session⁠
📅 Monday 12 October | ⏰ 10am⁠
🎨 Explore, play, and create together with our friendly education team.⁠
💡 Activities will be set up throughout the galleries, perfect for under-5s to discover, imagine, and have fun.⁠
⁠
✅ FREE | 🎟️ Drop-in | 👩‍👧 For under 5s + parents/carers⁠
⁠
Come along for a relaxed, creative morning — we can’t wait to see you and your little ones! 💛⁠⁠⁠⁠

🎨 Arty Afternoons –October 2026 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⁠⁠Looking for something creative (and FREE!) to do with the kids this October? Jo...
09/10/2026

🎨 Arty Afternoons –October 2026 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⁠
⁠
Looking for something creative (and FREE!) to do with the kids this October? Join us every Saturday at Penlee House Gallery & Museum for fun, family-friendly art activities!⁠
⁠
🖌 Drop in anytime: 2:30–3:30 pm⁠ 💛 FREE | No booking needed⁠
⁠
What’s on this month?⁠
⁠
✏ Saturday 10 October: Newlyn School Composition Collage
Take a wander around our new exhibition of Newlyn School paintings and look closely at how the artists have carefully
painted people and places in their compositions. Create a Newlyn School painting-inspired background and cut out
different characters to place onto your background and experiment with different compositions.

☁️ Saturday 17 October: Make a mini-Kite
Look closely at Dame Laura Knight’s ‘Study for Flying a Kite.’ Can you spot the kite flying next to the rainbow? Join us to
design and make a mini kite of your own.

🏠 Saturday 24 October: Corner of a Newlyn Cottage
Explore the different interiors in the Newlyn School paintings. Pick one of the corners of the cottages, glue it down and
draw what you imagine to be in the rest of the room. Fast-forward the room into the present day or draw it from the
Victorian era.

🏮 Saturday 31 October: Tissue Paper Lantern
Spot the paintings in our exhibition that show the warm glow of an oil lamp. Join us to decorate a colourful lantern using
tissue paper.
Penzance Council Love Penzance Cornwall with the kids Blackbird Pie Primary Times Cornwall

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us last night for the private view of our brand-new exhibition:...
08/10/2026

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us last night for the private view of our brand-new exhibition: The Art of the Newlyn School: Paintings from The Bowerman Collection.

We were thrilled to have the exhibition officially opened by Simon Downham, Curator of The Bowerman Collection, and it was fantastic to see so many familiar faces and special guests joining us to mark the occasion.

Amongst our guests were local MP Andrew George, the Bishop of Truro, The Rt Revd David Williams, President of the Friends of Penlee House, Kurt Jackson, Toby Procter, grandson of the celebrated artists Dod and Ernest Procter, and Alison Bevan, author of the brand-new book The Art of the Newlyn School, which accompanies the exhibition.

It was a very special evening celebrating the incredible artistic legacy of the Newlyn School and the wonderful paintings that make up The Bowerman Collection.

Thank you to everyone who came, raised a glass, shared the evening with us and helped make it such a memorable night!

And now…the doors are open!

Come and discover this extraordinary collection for yourself at Penlee House.
Love Penzance Friends of Penlee House Art UK Penzance Council Andrew George Bishop David Williams Kurt Jackson Contemporary Artist

This week's Art UK theme is ‘Queer joy’ for Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends, opening today at the National Po...
08/10/2026

This week's Art UK theme is ‘Queer joy’ for Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends, opening today at the National Portrait Gallery. Today, we honour the incredible Virginia Woolf, a pioneering British writer and key figure of the 20th century. Born in 1882, Woolf was a trailblazer in discussing women's rights and mental health, and her work continues to inspire us today.

As a founding member of the Bloomsbury Group, she influenced modern attitudes towards feminism and sexuality, while her intimate relationships with women, particularly the notable Vita Sackville-West, highlight her connection to the LGBTQ+ community.

Though she may not have openly identified as a le***an, Woolf's writings provide a profound exploration of same-sex love and q***r identities, often using coded language in a time of societal stigma.

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗩𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 — 𝗔 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗡 📖𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹: 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝟭𝟴𝟴𝟬–𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟬 ...
07/10/2026

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗩𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 — 𝗔 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗡 📖

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹: 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝟭𝟴𝟴𝟬–𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟬 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻

With over 150 colour illustrations, this beautifully produced publication brings together almost all of the major paintings from the two most important collections of Newlyn School works: Penlee House Gallery & Museum and The Bowerman Collection, alongside key works from other public collections.

𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗘𝗫𝗛𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘: £𝟮𝟱.𝟬𝟬

https://penleehouse.org.uk/product/the-art-of-the-newlyn-school-paintings-of-cornish-life-and-light-1880-1930/

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹: 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻We are delighted to open this major exhibi...
07/10/2026

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹: 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

We are delighted to open this major exhibition at Penlee House, bringing together 40 paintings from The Bowerman Collection alongside highlights from our own nationally important collection.

Featuring works by Walter Langley, Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes, Harold Harvey, Dod Procter, Dame Laura Knight and others, the exhibition explores the artists, communities and landscapes that shaped the Newlyn School.

This is the first stop on a major two-year national tour, making its opening in Penzance a particularly significant moment.

Alongside the exhibition, our new publication, The Art of the Newlyn School: Paintings of Cornish Life and Light by Alison Bevan, brings together more than 150 illustrations from The Bowerman Collection and Penlee House. Available now from our shop.

Come and experience these remarkable paintings in the landscape that inspired them.

7 October 2026 – 9 January 2027
Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance

With generous sponsorship from Jenna Burlingham Gallery, Kingsclere, long-standing supporters of The Bowerman Collection and champions of Modern British and contemporary art.
Penzance Council Love Penzance Friends of Penlee House Art UK Art Fund Arts Council England

Address

Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Morrab Road
Penzance
TR184HE

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441736363625

Website

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