Friends of Penlee House

15/10/2026

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

07/10/2026

07/09/2026

✨ Only 20 days left! ✨

Women have played a vital role in shaping British art, yet their contributions have too often been underrepresented, overlooked and undervalued. Making Her Mark brings these remarkable stories to the forefront.

Our countdown image celebrates that connection between past and present. Elaine Lorys, the first female certified Master Fishmonger in the UK, stands alongside Elizabeth Forbes’s Zandvoort Fishergirl — highlighting the important role women have always played in the fishing industry.

Spanning from the mid-19th century to the present day, Making Her Mark celebrates remarkable artists including Elizabeth Forbes, Laura Knight, Dod Procter, Caroline Walker, Tracey Emin and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, alongside many others.

Bringing together over 50 outstanding works by women artists, the exhibition is the result of a unique collaboration between Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, and Kirkcaldy Galleries, part of cultural charity OnFife.

This major exhibition is part of Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with major support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust.

📅 Just 20 days to go — come and discover the women who made their mark on British art.
Stevenson Newlyn Love Penzance Penzance Council Friends of Penlee House

02/09/2026

We are delighted to announce that the first talk of our new season is ‘David Haughton: St Just drawings, paintings and etchings’.

Frances Lord, David Haughton’s daughter, will explore David Haughton’s life and career (1924-1991), notably his meticulously observed and rendered drawings, paintings and etchings of the former mining town of St Just, and his legacy as an inspirational teacher.

The talk will contextualise Haughton’s work in relation to post-war British art and the ‘St Ives scene’, and his friends and contemporaries including Prunella Clough, Barbara Hepworth, Rose Hilton, Ben Nicholson, John Wells and Bryan Wynter (to name but a few).

Date: Tuesday 22 September
Time: 7.30 pm
Location: Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
Cost: £7 for Friends. £15 for General Admission

(David Haughton, Queen Street, 1960, Etching, Artist’s Proof © David Haughton Estate)

03/07/2026

SEEKING SUNDAY STEWARDS

Summer Sunday openings have now started at Penlee House and run until 27 September. Room stewards are needed for these. Morning sessions are 10 am to 1.30 pm, and afternoons are 1.30 – 4.30 pm.

If you can help with any sessions, please contact David Trevivian: [email protected]

02/07/2026

Due to a temporary VAT reduction, we're pleased to offer lower admission prices for a limited time.

🎟️ General Admission – £7
🎟️ Ages 18–26 – £3.50
🎟️ Under 18s – FREE

There's never been a better time to explore, discover and enjoy a day out with us.

📅 Offer available until Tuesday 1 September – don't miss out!
Penzance Council Friends of Penlee House Love Penzance Penzance BID

18/06/2026

Thank you to all the Friends who came to our AGM last night. It was wonderful to see everybody. Thank you also to Alison Bevan for an outstanding lecture on Penlee House’s current exhibition Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art.

If you are yet to see the new exhibition, please do, you won’t regret it.

Elizabeth Adela Forbes née Armstrong ARWS (1859 - 1912)
A Zandvoort Fishergirl, 1884, Oil on canvas
Penlee House Gallery & Museum, on loan from Newlyn Art Gallery

31/05/2026

We received some absolutely wonderful feedback on our last event, Before Cryséde.

‘It was a fascinating talk. The speaker was very knowledgeable.”

“A lovely and very informative evening.”

“[a] wonderful speaker, we enjoyed her talk immensely.”

Our lectures are a key offering to our Friends, and we’re thrilled to get such wonderful feedback.

Please have a look at our website for our upcoming events, and we hope you’ll enjoy them just as much.