Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery

Call Directions Website Contact the museum

Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery The definitive destination for Cornish art, artefacts, history, nature and culture.

At the very heart of Cornwall and its cultural life, the museum is a centre of exploration and learning. Using the eclectic collections of Cornish culture, art, antiquities, archaeology, science, and natural history we take people on a journey from deep underground to up into the sky, around the world and way back in time. In doing this, we use our collections to help our communities look forward together.

20/10/2026

Hello! We took the National Trust volunteers trend and applied it to the museum 👀

We only know of three witch bottles found in Cornwall, and this one was found in the hearth of Mehall Mill Farmhouse nea...
19/10/2026

We only know of three witch bottles found in Cornwall, and this one was found in the hearth of Mehall Mill Farmhouse near St Keverne. People took protection against witchcraft seriously, and these witch bottles were used to protect the home, believed to be anti-witchcraft and spells.

This one was originally found with hair and pins in it, and it had tacks hammered into the bottom. People would often put hair, nail clippings and even urine into witch bottles, which is thought to have warded off curses, with evil getting caught on the tacks or pins.

From David Kemp's The Hound of Geevor (cannus stannus geevoritii), to Joanna Simpson's Gum Nut Folk and Ben Wilson's wor...
18/10/2026

From David Kemp's The Hound of Geevor (cannus stannus geevoritii), to Joanna Simpson's Gum Nut Folk and Ben Wilson's works of painted chewing gum on stone, the Art Any Way exhibition brings together freedom of expression outside of conventional norms.

With works from the museum's collections, and kindly on loan from Outside In and Shallal, this exhibition explores how trained and untrained artists inspired each other and continue to inspire us all.

Until 30 January.

Next weekend, 24 and 25 October, 32 contemporary jewellery makers are gathered at the museum for the Acj Cornwall Tresor...
15/10/2026

Next weekend, 24 and 25 October, 32 contemporary jewellery makers are gathered at the museum for the Acj Cornwall Tresor Jewellery Fair.
Creating pieces inspired by the Cornish Myths and Legends exhibition, there are incredible creations from wood to recycled gold, chunky sterling silver and precious and semi-precious stones.

Plus, don't miss a range of workshops, available to book on the museum website.

1. Amy Eves
2. Freya Laughton design
3. Clare Maiden
4. Daisy Dunlop
5. Georgina Yates

This is a horse vertebra with a depiction of John Wesley painted onto it. That might seem like an odd sentence, but “Wes...
14/10/2026

This is a horse vertebra with a depiction of John Wesley painted onto it. That might seem like an odd sentence, but “Wesley bones” weren’t uncommon. Whether these painted bones were a commemoration or John Wesley, or used as a satirical commentary on the preacher and his religion, is unknown.

Wesley was born in 1703 and spent a lot of time in Cornwall preaching his Methodist religion. Methodism became the predominant religion in Cornwall, perhaps the community-building practices and lack of fuss appealing to the locals.

Constructed from 87 panels of burgundy silk dupion, The Red Dress travelled internationally for over a decade, being con...
13/10/2026

Constructed from 87 panels of burgundy silk dupion, The Red Dress travelled internationally for over a decade, being continuously embroidered by hundreds of contributors across five continents. The finished piece features the work of 380 embroiderers from 51 countries, including refugees, survivors of conflict, artisans, students, embroidery professionals, and first-time stitchers.

In Cornwall for the first time, at Cornwall Museum for one month only from 5 - 30 January - pre-book your slot now.

Chris Prindl, ceramicist behind the Fired Moon exhibition, is in the building later this week giving a talk and pottery ...
12/10/2026

Chris Prindl, ceramicist behind the Fired Moon exhibition, is in the building later this week giving a talk and pottery demonstration on his work. Join us on Thursday 15 October from 7 -8:15pm - head to the website for tickets.

Chris has a uniquely Cornish take on the Korean Moon Jar, made from Cornish china clay and glazed using minerals and metals found in Cornwall’s unique landscape. They are fired using local wood and Cornish salt, drawing on materials that are deeply connected to the region and its natural environment.

12/10/2026

TREASURES. Collections Manager, Jeni Woolcock shares some of the newest treasures in the museum's collections. Acquisitions like these would not be possible without your support.

In honour of October we’ve been exploring some of the witch-related objects in the collections 🎃Objects were commonly us...
11/10/2026

In honour of October we’ve been exploring some of the witch-related objects in the collections 🎃
Objects were commonly used around the house to ward off or capture bad spirits such as witch bottles or balls, but also children's shoes. These shoes were found in a wall - for a long time shoes hidden in chimneys or walls were thought to capture witch spirits or bad energy. Chimneys were likely seen as a vulnerable spot, providing a portal to the outside world which witches could have used, as well as thresholds.

In perfect timing for some glorious Christmas gifting, Tresor from acjcornwall contemporary jewellery fair returns to th...
09/10/2026

In perfect timing for some glorious Christmas gifting, Tresor from acjcornwall contemporary jewellery fair returns to the museum on 24 and 25 October. 32 makers will be tempting you with some incredible pieces of work, inspired by the Myths and Legends exhibition.

Expect diverse pieces made from everything from wood to modern sustainable polymers as well as traditional recycled gold, precious and semi-precious stones and chunky sterling silver.

There's also a range of workshops, from bracelets and bangles to beach treasures, available to book on the Cornwall Museum website 👑

Donna Burns Jewellery
Justin Duance Jewellery
i love handmade things
Esther Smith Artist

Address

25 River Street
Truro
TR12SJ

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441872723230

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery:

Shortcuts

Share

Category