Penlee House

Arty Afternoons: Save our Seas Mixed Media Collage
2025-04-26 14:30 - 15:30 UTC
There are lots of messages in our exhibition about looking after our ocean and reducing plastic waste. Explore the sea scenes and create a mixed-media collage of seaweed, nets, and ocean colours.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Arty Afternoons: Changing Seasons Wheel
2025-04-19 14:30 - 15:30
How many seasons can you spot in the paintings in our galleries? Come and join us to make a changing seasons wheel. Draw and collage the different seasons onto a wheel, thinking carefully about the different colours that are used to represent the types of weather.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Half Term Activity: Reuse and Recycle Textiles!
2025-04-17 13:30 - 15:30
Taking inspiration from our current exhibition ‘The Shape of Things: Our place in a changing climate’ come and design and make textile art. Collage Easter bonnets for famous faces from our collection or make a rag rug out of recycled material.

Arty Afternoons: Make a Mini 3D Wind Turbine
2025-04-12 14:30 - 15:30
Wind power is a brilliant way to make sustainable energy to power our homes. Make a mini 3D wind turbine and decorate to look like how you think a creative wind turbine should look!!

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Half Term Activity: Eco Easter Bunnies
2025-04-10 13:30 - 15:30
Hop on over to Penlee House this Thursday, 10th April, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm for a fun, free and eco-friendly craft session! Get creative and make your own vibrant and unique Easter bunnies using recycled materials.

The Shape of Things: Talk and Q&A with Rachel Yates, Sustainable PZ
2025-04-09 19:00 - 20:30
Join Rachel Yates from Sustainable PZ for an informal talk on the work that’s happening in the town to create a thriving community for the future—one that puts people, place, and planet first. From how it all began with Plastic Free PZ to connecting local work to national and global action … and the story in between. Why does Sustainable PZ do the work it does, in the way it does, and does it really make any difference?
Date: Wednesday 9 April
Time: 19:30 GMT
Location: Penlee House Gallery & Museum
Price: FREE, but booking is essential

Arty Afternoons: Origami Boats
2025-04-05 14:30 - 15:30
Man the boats! Explore the paintings in the galleries that have boats in them and seek out the colourful origami boats made by Heamoor School. Design your own brightly coloured patterns and maybe include messages about climate change, then learn how to fold it into an origami boat.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

The Shape of Things: Climate Cafe supported by Sustainable Penzance
2025-04-04 14:00 - 16:00
Come and share a cuppa and some cake with like-minded individuals at our Climate Cafe. You can find out about work that’s happening in the town to create a better future for all, as well as chat about the current issues we’re facing as a community. This is an open space to bring yourself as you are. What are your concerns, worries and observations? How does it all make you feel? And where are the positive actions and outlets that we can all access to support each other, and the beautiful planet we call home.
Date: Friday 4 April
Time: 2.00 pm- 4.00 pm
Location: Penlee House Coach House
Price: Free

The Shape of Things: Reuse and Create workshop with Charlie Lewin- Sold Out
2025-04-04 10:00 - 12:30
Join us for a creative recycling workshop. Bring fabric scraps or unwanted old clothes and use them to create a piece in response to the exhibition The Shape of Things. Working with artist Charlie Lewin, you will select a section of an artwork and explore ways to develop your own response to it.
Dates: Saturday 29 March 2025
Time: 10.00 am – 12.30 pm
Location: The Coach House, Penlee House
Tickets: This event is free but booking is essential

Baby Sensory
2025-03-03 10:00 - 11:30
Free, drop-in session for babies from birth to crawlers. Come and experience the amazing artworks whilst exploring sensory play together in the Gallery.

Arty Afternoons: Save the Bees Jigsaw
2025-03-29 14:30 - 15:30
Seek out the beautiful bee wall hanging in Gallery 3. How many different types of bees can you spy? Join us to make a honeycomb jigsaw out of coloured cards full of bees and bee-friendly flowers.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

The Shape of Things: Seaweed pressing workshop with The Seaweed Institute - Sold Out
2025-03-29 10:00 - 12:30
Join us to learn the craft of seaweed pressing – a Victorian practice that captures the underwater beauty of seaweeds.
During the workshop you will learn to recognise and identify local seaweed species. The cultural history of seaweeds will be discussed, as well it’s agricultural, scientific and ecological uses. You will learn how to forage, store and use this abundant resource.
After laying out your designs they will be loaded into our seaweed press where they will dry over the next weeks. You will receive the finished pieces by post once they are ready.
Dates: Saturday 29 March 2025
Time: 10.00 am – 12.30 pm
Location: The Coach House, Penlee House
Tickets: This event is free but booking is essential

Arty Afternoons: Market Place – Air Dough Food
2025-03-22 14:30
Taking inspiration from Market Place by Stanhope Forbes, make a mini market stall. Fill your stall with locally grown food made from colourful air dough.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

The Shape of Things: Embroidered bees workshop with Vicky Harrison - Sold Out
2025-03-22 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-08 10:00 - 13:00
Find out about the many Cornish bee species, their importance in ecosystems and how we can help save them. Embroider a bee to be added to the community quilt currently on display in the exhibition, The Shape of Things: Our Place in a Changing Climate at Penlee House.
Please attend both weeks. If you cannot attend both weeks, please note this when booking.
Dates: Saturday 8 and 22 March 2025
Time: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Location: The Coach House, Penlee House
Tickets: This event is free but booking is essential

These workshops are part of an ongoing community project, Embroidered Bees for West Penwith, and bees created during the workshops will be added to the quilt after the exhibition. More information can be found here
https://www.facebook.com/groups/embroideredbees/

Little Penlee Explorers: Drop-in sessions for under 5s
2025-03-17 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-02-17 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to explore, play and create at Penlee House! With activities throughout the galleries, these free, drop-in sessions are for under 5s and their grown-ups.
Monthly on Mondays, 10 am-12 pm.

Arty Afternoons: Weather Mobile
2025-03-15 14:30 - 15:30
Explore the different types of weather represented in our paintings and responses. How many can you see? Craft a 3D weather mobile and illustrate the different types of weather using mixed media.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Arty Afternoons: Landscapes of the Future
2025-03-08 14:30 - 15:30
Explore the paintings from the collections at Penlee House that are in The Shape of Things exhibition. What would these landscapes look like in the future? Collage new ideas and future visions to the traditional landscapes.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

The Shape of Things: Climate films by Cornwall Climate Care
2025-03-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance
Join us for a screening of two short climate films by Cornwall Climate Care, Food for Thought and Power to the People, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Claire Wallerstein and Lisa Guy, local farmer and presenter of Food for Thought. Book Now

Food for Thought
Should we all be giving up meat and dairy if we’re to have a hope of avoiding dangerous climate breakdown?
This is what the headlines seem to tell us. But is this too simplistic a picture – and what would this mean for Cornwall, where the majority of our farmland is used to raise livestock or to grow crops for these animals to eat?
Food for Thought looks at the undeniable impacts of modern animal agriculture as well as some of the incredible Cornish initiatives underway to mitigate them – and also the role that regenerative farming could play in actually combating climate change while producing nutritious food.
Presented by organic beef farmer Lisa Guy, this film aims to inspire much-needed conversation and action about a crucial subject that has become one of the most contentious within the climate debate.

Power to the People
With fantastic resources of wind, sun, tides, geothermal heat and critical minerals, Cornwall could drive the whole country’s clean energy revolution.
However, the UK’s 100-year-old grid infrastructure means this potential can’t be harnessed – while huge numbers of local people are living in poorly insulated homes they can’t afford to heat.
Power to the People explores the exciting opportunities and huge challenges facing us as we wean ourselves off fossil fuels – from a farmer who’s found a novel way to combine food production with solar panels, opportunities to use our historic heritage to power the future, and projects to harness the amazing untapped heat 5km down in the Earth’s crust.

Arty Afternoons: Make and Match Clouds
2025-03-01 14:30 - 15:30
Have you ever looked up and spotted all the different types of clouds there are in the sky? Come and make a variety of clouds then see if you can match them with the clouds in the paintings displayed in our exhibition.

FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

LECTURE: An Introduction to the Gardener's House
2025-02-27 19:30 - 21:00
Come join the Friends of Penlee House for an engaging lecture on the fascinating history of The Gardener’s House. Discover the secrets behind this historical landmark and learn about its significance in the local community. Whether you’re a history buff or just looking for a fun evening out, this event is sure to entertain and educate. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to delve into the past and uncover the stories hidden within The Gardener’s House.
Date: Thursday 27 Feb 2025
Time: 19:30 GMT
Location: Penlee House Gallery & Museum
Price: £7.00 for Friends of Penlee House | £15.00 for Non-Friends
Book Now!

Arty Afternoon: Mini Hecate Goddesses
2025-02-22 14:30 - 15:30
Can you find the sculpture of the goddess Hecate in the exhibition? Look at her beautiful, colourful robe and then design and make a mini Hecate to take home.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Half Term Activity: Design and make an eco-friendly, reusable fabric bag
2025-02-20 13:30 - 15:30
Thursday 20 February 1.30 -3.30pm
Be inspired by our climate-themed exhibition and the beautiful paintings of our local area. Design and make an eco-friendly, reusable fabric tote bag using colourful fabric crayons.

Baby Sensory Session
2025-02-17 10:00 - 11:30

Arty Afternoons: Rain it Raineth (almost) Everyday Rainsticks
2025-02-15 14:30 - 15:30
Come and see one of our most famous paintings. The Rain it Raineth Every Day by Norman Garstin was painted over 130 years ago and shows a familiar view of Penzance prom. Join us to make a rain stick so that you can make the sound of the rain to match the painting
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

The Shape of Things: Climate films by Cornwall Climate Care
2025-02-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance
Join us for a screening of two short climate films by Cornwall Climate Care, Under the Surface and Living on the Edge, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Claire Wallerstein and Duncan Jones from Marine Discovery. Book now!
Under the Surface
Under the Surface is the first episode of Cornwall’s Climate Stories. Presented by beach cleaner Claire Wallerstein, it looks at how the huge rise in public awareness about the impacts of plastic pollution may have diverted attention from an even more urgent environmental problem affecting the sea – climate change. The film features interviews with marine experts talking about the impacts of a changing climate on Cornwall’s basking sharks, plankton, seals and seabirds – but also looking at positive stories about local projects to restore the marine environment, which could help to protect us from the worst effects of climate change.

Living on the Edge
Cornwall has a longer coastline and is battered by bigger waves than any county in England. The sometimes violent drama that plays out around Cornwall’s shores has always been a part of its identity.
But as climate change brings rising sea levels and worsening storms, what will this mean for Cornwall’s coastal communities?
The film is presented by passionate ultra runner Emma Hazeldine, who takes us on a journey around the Cornish coast path, visiting places that are already being impacted in sometimes surprising ways – and coming up with a range of responses to the challenges that lie just beyond the horizon.

Arty Afternoons: Railway Poster Art
2025-02-08 14:30 - 15:30
Take a look at the colourful Great Western Railway and British Railway posters in the climate exhibition. Train travel is a great way to travel sustainably. Make your own version of the posters thinking about what a futuristic Penzance might look like.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm
