Penlee House Gallery & Museum

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 th

e 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

Today’s Art UK theme is Reflections.Our choice is Reflections, 1916 by Harold Harvey from the collection of Cyfarthfa ...
03/09/2026

Today’s Art UK theme is Reflections.

Our choice is Reflections, 1916 by Harold Harvey from the collection of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery.

This striking and intimate painting depicts Harvey’s wife, Gertrude, at their home in Newlyn. The play of light, the mirror and the quiet domestic setting create a wonderfully contemplative atmosphere — perfectly suited to today’s theme.

Gertrude was much more than a model for her husband. She went on to establish herself as an accomplished artist in her own right, exhibiting her work at the Royal Academy and becoming an important part of the artistic community in Newlyn.

🖼️Work of the Week! The Milk Cart, c.1920 by Frank Gascoigne Heath (1873–1936)The painting shows Boleigh Farm, near St B...
02/09/2026

🖼️Work of the Week!
The Milk Cart, c.1920 by Frank Gascoigne Heath (1873–1936)

The painting shows Boleigh Farm, near St Buryan, in the early 1920s. The thatched cottage on the left was occupied by an elderly lady called Lily Barregwaneth: she can be seen in her traditional bonnet by the doorway. The artist has painted his wife and children (his son, Tony, is peering through the gate) in the foreground. Each morning, milk from all the nearby farms was taken to the Trevider butter factory (now the Lamorna Pottery) for separation. On the way back, drivers would stop at Clapper Mill, Lamorna, to have a sack of corn ground, and the separated milk and corn husks were then mixed as pig swill on return to the farm.

Purchased in 2015 with funding from The Art Fund and The Friends of Penlee House.

Great events are coming up at Penlee House — and there are still tickets available!Looking for something a little differ...
02/09/2026

Great events are coming up at Penlee House — and there are still tickets available!

Looking for something a little different this September? Join us for three brilliant evenings of creativity, conversation and art.

✂️ After Hours: Sip, Snip & Create
Thursday 10 September · 6.30–8.30pm
📍 Penlee House Gallery & Museum
🎟️ £30 per person
An evening of creativity, making and a little time to unwind — with a drink in hand!

🎨 Online Talk: The Artistic Career of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Wednesday 16 September · 7–8.30pm
💻 Online event
🎟️ £15 per person
Discover the fascinating artistic career of one of the most important figures in British modernism, from the comfort of your own home.

🖨️ After Hours: Print, Press & Create
Tuesday 22 September · 6.30–9pm
📍 Penlee House Gallery & Museum
🎟️ £30 per person
Get creative and explore the wonderful world of printmaking in a relaxed after-hours setting.

Book via this link https://penleehouse.org.uk/product-category/events/

🌧️ Well… it’s raining again! ☔So we thought we’d embrace the weather and choose a suitably soggy masterpiece for today: ...
02/09/2026

🌧️ Well… it’s raining again! ☔

So we thought we’d embrace the weather and choose a suitably soggy masterpiece for today: The Rain it Raineth Every Day by Norman Garstin.

The composition of this painting demonstrates Garstin's admiration for Japanese art, which was influencing so many artists at this time, including Whistler, whose work Garstin also admired. The title is taken from Shakespeare, where it is found both in 'Twelfth Night' and 'King Lear'.

If you’re looking for somewhere to escape the rain, Penlee House is open today from 10.00am–4.30pm. You can currently see The Rain it Raineth Every Day in Gallery 5, alongside the many other works in our collection.
Friends of Penlee House Penzance Council Love Penzance Art UK

Join one of our Volunteer Tour Guides for a short guided tour of our current exhibition, Making Her Mark: A Celebration ...
01/09/2026

Join one of our Volunteer Tour Guides for a short guided tour of our current exhibition, Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art.

Our friendly volunteer guides will share insights, stories and perspectives on selected works in the exhibition — a wonderful way to see the gallery through fresh eyes.

🕚 Tuesdays & Thursdays at 11.00 a.m.
⏱️ Tours last 30–45 minutes
🎟️ Included with Gallery admission
📍 No booking required — places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Come along, discover something new, and make your mark on your visit!

Find out more about the exhibition: https://penleehouse.org.uk/exhibition/making-her-mark-a-celebration-of-women-in-art/

📸'Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art' at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, part of Art Fund's Going Places programme © Tom Last/Art Fund 2026

Baby Sensory at Penlee House 👶⁠Join our education team on Monday morning to explore, play, and create at Penlee House Ga...
30/08/2026

Baby Sensory at Penlee House 👶⁠
Join our education team on Monday morning to explore, play, and create at Penlee House Gallery & Museum!⁠
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Free, drop-in session from 10 am until 11.30 am for babies from birth to crawlers. Come and experience the amazing artworks whilst exploring sensory play together in the Gallery.⁠⁠⁠⁠

🏖️ Happy National Beach Day! 🌊We’re taking a trip back to one of our staff favourites from The Exceptional Harold Harvey...
30/08/2026

🏖️ Happy National Beach Day! 🌊

We’re taking a trip back to one of our staff favourites from The Exceptional Harold Harvey exhibition in 2024.

August, 1939 by Harold Harvey captures a carefree summer day at the beach — painted in the last summer of peace before the outbreak of the Second World War. The painting was later exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1940.

We were lucky enough to have this beautiful work on loan for our 2024 exhibition. We don’t own the painting, but it certainly left an impression on the team and remains a firm favourite!

Harold Harvey had a wonderful ability to capture everyday life in and around Newlyn, and August 1939 is a lovely reminder of the simple pleasures of a summer day by the sea.

So, on National Beach Day, we have to ask: will you be going for a paddle today?

🎨 Arty Afternoons – September 2026 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⁠⁠Looking for something creative (and FREE!) to do with the kids this Septembe...
29/08/2026

🎨 Arty Afternoons – September 2026 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⁠
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Looking for something creative (and FREE!) to do with the kids this September? Join us every Saturday at Penlee House Gallery & Museum for fun, family-friendly art activities!⁠
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🖌 Drop in anytime: 2:30–3:30 pm⁠ 💛 FREE | No booking needed⁠
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What’s on this month?⁠
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🍎 Saturday 5 September - Penzance Food Festival: Make Your Mark
Make a mini sketchbook with us and explore food, colour, pattern and place as part of Penzance Food Festival.

🖋️ Saturday 12 September - Press print with felt tips!
Eileen Cooper has used bold colours and simple lines in her painting Taking Stock, which is on display in our Making Her Mark exhibition. Using your own subject matter ideas to recreate similar bright colours and simple lines using a felt tip pen press print method.
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✍🏻Saturday 19 September - Design a font
When designing and making their beautiful banner on display in our current exhibition, the Carefree Cornwall group designed their own font for the text. Take inspiration from their ideas and design your own unique alphabet of letters – it can be as bright, coloured and patterned as you would like it to be!
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🟪Saturday 26 September - Geometrical Abstract Art
Look closely at the Gillian Ayres painting – Sikar II - on display in our Making Her Mark exhibition. How many different types of shapes can you see? Create your own version of the artwork by choosing shapes, arranging them in a composition, drawing around them and adding bold, bright colours.

🖼 Sybarite (1992) Dorothy Black. Pastel on paper ©The Artist Image credit: OnFife, on behalf of Fife Council.
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On this day in 1847, Norman Garstin was born in Ireland and brought up by his grandparents. He first set out to be an en...
28/08/2026

On this day in 1847, Norman Garstin was born in Ireland and brought up by his grandparents. He first set out to be an engineer, then an architect, and later sought his fortune prospecting for diamonds in South Africa with Cecil Rhodes.

On his return to Ireland, he decided on a career as an artist. Although he started by painting in his spare time, by the late 1870s and early 1880s he was studying in both Paris and Antwerp.

He arrived in Newlyn in 1886, moving to Penzance in 1889, where he finally settled, living at Wellington Terrace. To supplement the sparse income from picture sales, he taught painting. His most notable students were Harold Harvey and his own daughter, Alethea Garstin, who became a notable painter in her own right.

His most famous work is 'The Rain it Raineth Every Day' (1889), showing the Penzance promenade on a rainy day. The composition of this painting demonstrates Garstin's admiration for Japanese art, which was influencing so many artists at this time, including Whistler, whose work Garstin also admired. The title is taken from Shakespeare, where it appears in both 'Twelfth Night' and 'King Lear'.

Last chance to see the small display of paintings by John Willie Matthewman (1877–1947) in the Social History Gallery at...
28/08/2026

Last chance to see the small display of paintings by John Willie Matthewman (1877–1947) in the Social History Gallery at Penlee House, as it finishes on Monday 31 August.
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Born in Sheffield, Matthewman moved to Penberth in 1928 and spent many years painting the landscapes and coastline of West Cornwall. His work reflects a close familiarity with the area, capturing places that remain recognisable today.⁠
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Although not as widely known as some of his contemporaries, Matthewman exhibited with the Newlyn Society of Artists in 1937, and one of his paintings was accepted for exhibition at the Royal Academy, London, the following year.⁠
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Curated by Gordon Matthewman, a descendant of the artist, this selection of works offers a rare opportunity to see paintings displayed close to the landscapes in which they were created, providing a glimpse into the artistic and social history of the area.⁠
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Usual admission charges apply.⁠⁠⁠⁠

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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