Penlee House

Arty Afternoons: Bird Spotting Wheel
2025-08-09 14:30 - 15:30 UTC
Penlee Park -where Penlee House is set – is full to the brim with birdlife. Create your own bird spotting wheel to help you find and identify British birds.

Social History Gallery Display: Pip Benveniste (1921-2010)
2025-08-09 10:00 - 2025-10-11 16:30
Born at Myrtle Cottage, Newlyn in 1921, Pip Benveniste was a post-war British modernist artist whose wide-ranging creative output included watercolour, oil, acrylic, etching, film and rug design over her 60-year career.
Benveniste was the eldest daughter of Bohemian artists Alec Walker and Kay Earle, who established Crysede Silks in Newlyn in 1920. Allowed to roam freely across the Cornish landscape as a child, the rolling fields, farms and hedges, granite formations, craggy coastlines and the mysterious Cornish light and skies were themes that would later influence her eye as an artist.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s Benveniste was immersed in the rapidly developing art world with close affiliation to figures like the writer James Baldwin in Paris, film-maker Terry Southern in New York, artist Tess Jaray in London, as well as being part of Yoko Ono’s early experimental films.
In addition to painting across various locations in the UK, Benveniste travelled and worked in Mexico, America, France, Morocco, Holland and Tunisia, all the while absorbing colours, culture, light and landscapes, and always returning to Cornwall for visits to draw and paint. She exhibited widely in solo and joint exhibitions throughout her career.
For further information about Benveniste’s art legacy, contact:
Mark Vaughan OBE
Email: lmarkvaughan@gmail.com
The display will run from Saturday, 9 August until Wednesday, 10 September 2025.

Art in the Park: Bird Prints inspired by Hilda Quick
2025-08-07 13:30 - 15:30
Be inspired by Penzance-born Hilda Quick’s wood-engraving prints on display in the Birds exhibition. Create your own beautiful bird prints using press print and inks.
In the event of wet weather, this activity will be adapted to take place inside the Gallery.

Arty Afternoons: Beak Headdresses
2025-08-02 14:30 - 15:30
How many different beaks can you see in the Birds exhibition here at Penlee House? Create a beak headdress to wear based on the sea, garden and marsh birds in the paintings.

Art in the Park: Mix and Match Bird Book
2025-07-31 13:30 - 15:30
Taking inspiration from all the different types of birds in the Birds exhibition at Penlee House, design and draw a mix-and-match book. What heads, bodies and legs can you match up to make a weird and wonderful new type of bird?

Festival of Archaeology – Iron Age Coin Badges
2025-07-26 14:30 - 15:30
Explore the Iron Age coins displayed in our archaeology collection. What pictures can you spot on the coins? Join us to learn about Iron Age coin designs and make your own copper foil Iron Age coin badge.

Art in the Park: 3D Prehistoric Monuments
2025-07-24 13:30 - 15:30
Come and celebrate this year’s Festival of Archaeology and the wonderful collection in our museum. Join us to make a mini local prehistoric monument from air dough and a 3D countryside scene to display it in.

Festival of Archaeology – Lunula Necklace
2025-07-19 14:30 - 15:30
Come and see the wonderful golden lunula (necklace) from the Bronze Age displayed in the archaeology gallery. This amazing piece of jewellery is about 4500 years old! Try your hand at crafting a version to take home.

Festival of Archaeology - Air Dough Roman Rings
2025-07-12 14:30 - 15:30
Take a look at the beautiful, new Roman ring on display in the archaeology gallery. Design and make your own Roman ring using colourful air dough.

Festival of Archaeology – Meet an Archaeologist / Roman Treasure Craft
2025-07-12 14:30 - 15:30
Running from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. Come along to Penlee House and meet an archaeologist. They will share all the behind-the-scenes information about how to be an archaeologist and what they do, as well as share their incredible local knowledge and finds they have made! Make a Roman-style cameo design for a ring and take part in a fun dig.

Arty Afternoons: Bird Poems
2025-07-05 14:30 - 15:30
This week we’re joining in with the Penzance Literary Festival. Explore our exhibition Birds: the art of Cornwall’s birdlife. Whilst looking at the paintings and sculptures, write down words inspired by what you see. Return to base and write a short poem using the words you have collected and decorate it with bird drawings.

Arty Afternoons: Mazey Day – On a Crest of a Wave! Sea Bird Craft
2025-06-28 14:30 - 15:30
Take a break from the festivities in the main town and join us outside Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penlee Park to celebrate the beauty and grace of our local seabirds. Make a flying seabird of your own to soar and swoop through the crowds.

Arty Afternoons: Owl Portraits
2025-06-21 14:30 - 15:30
Can you spot the wise owl in the Birds exhibition at Penlee House? Make a beautiful owl head using card and oil pastels to colour the wonderful textures of the feathers.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Social History Exhibition: Arts and Health
2025-06-18 10:00 - 2025-08-06 17:00
Getting involved in the arts can improve health and well-being.
People report that creative activities reduce stress, improve mood and build confidence. They’re also an enjoyable way of spending time with others whilst learning new skills.
During Spring 2025, Penlee House Gallery & Museum offered a series of workshops for adults in the local community who are facing difficulties or living with conditions which affect their health and wellbeing.
Working with artist Melanie Young, participants visited the Gallery and used the collections and exhibitions at Penlee House as the inspiration for their own artwork. They used a variety of media, including drawing, painting, collage and printmaking. This small exhibition displays some of the work created.
We would like to thank the participants for allowing the exhibition of their work and the project funders, the Friends of Penlee House and Arts Council England.

Jennifer Brown – A Centenary Celebration
2025-06-16 10:00 - 16:30
Jennifer Brown (27.05.1925 – 16.04.2008) was born in London and studied at Kingston School of Art. In 1975, with her husband and four children, she moved to Newlyn, and then Penzance, where Jennifer studied printmaking at the Penzance School of Art.

A founder member of Penwith Printmakers and a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists, she exhibited at several venues in the 1980s and 90s, from Penlee House to the Mid-Cornwall Galleries and further afield from Bournemouth to London.

Jennifer was renowned for her individual, quirky etchings and verses and was the author of three poetry collections, A Picker Up of Pieces, Cucumber Sandwiches and Life Bites. Although many of her prints and poems were amusing, her work also commented on the human condition, often sardonic and laced with sadness.

A small display of Jennifer’s work has been staged to commemorate the centenary of her birth and will be on show in the Social History gallery until 16 June.

Arty Afternoon: Birds habitats collage
2025-06-14 14:30 - 15:30
The birds featured in our exhibition live in all sorts of different habitats, from sea cliffs to farmyard scenes. Find out which birds live in the different habitats and then create a mixed media collage of those birds in their special homes.

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

Jennifer Brown – A Centenary Celebration
2025-06-09 10:00 - 2025-06-14 16:30, 2025-06-02 10:00 - 2025-06-07 16:30, 2025-05-26 10:00 - 2025-05-31 16:30, 2025-05-19 10:00 - 2025-05-24 16:30, 2025-05-15 10:00 - 2025-05-17 16:30
Jennifer Brown (27.05.1925 – 16.04.2008) was born in London and studied at Kingston School of Art. In 1975, with her husband and four children, she moved to Newlyn, and then Penzance, where Jennifer studied printmaking at the Penzance School of Art.

A founder member of Penwith Printmakers and a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists, she exhibited at several venues in the 1980s and 90s, from Penlee House to the Mid-Cornwall Galleries and further afield from Bournemouth to London.

Jennifer was renowned for her individual, quirky etchings and verses and was the author of three poetry collections, A Picker Up of Pieces, Cucumber Sandwiches and Life Bites. Although many of her prints and poems were amusing, her work also commented on the human condition, often sardonic and laced with sadness.

A small display of Jennifer’s work has been staged to commemorate the centenary of her birth and will be on show in the Social History gallery until 18 June.

Arty Afternoons: Leach Pottery Bird Plate
2025-06-07 14:30 - 15:30
Can you spot the bird plate made by Bernard Leach? It has black patterns and a bird design on the front. Taking inspiration from this beautiful piece of pottery, design and make your own Leach-style bird design plate to take home

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

Arty Afternoon: A Fan of Feathers!
2025-05-31 14:30 - 15:30
Design and decorate lots of feathers, making them as colourful as you can. Then fix your feathers together to make a beautiful fan to keep you cool on a hot summers day.

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

Half Term Activity: Quill a Bird
2025-05-29 13:30 - 15:30
Explore the exhibition at Penlee House and discover lots of different types of birds. Join us to learn how to quill paper and make your own colourful, patterned bird.

Arty Afternoons: Bird Nests and Eggs
2025-05-24 14:30 - 15:30
Come along to the Birds exhibition at Penlee House and explore the beautiful artworks. Make a 3D nest using recycled materials and make colourful eggs to nestle in your nest.

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

Lecture: Birds of Cornwall
2025-05-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
Join us for an enlightening event with Jenny Parker the RSPB Cornwall Reserves Site Manager, who is dedicated to highlighting the challenges facing Cornwall’s precious reserves and birdlife. Attendees can expect an in-depth discussion on the impacts of habitat loss and climate change, enriched by Jenny’s deep insights and expertise.
Whether you’re a seasoned environmentalist or simply curious about local wildlife, this lecture promises to provide valuable information and inspire action to protect Cornwall’s natural treasures.
📅 Wednesday 21st May
🕣 7:30 PM
📍 Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
🎟 £7.00 for Friends of Penlee House | £15.00 for Non-Friends
Book Now!

Arty Afternoons: Mix and Match Bird Book
2025-05-17 14:30 - 15:30
Taking inspiration from all the different types of birds in the Birds exhibition at Penlee House, design and draw your own mix-and-match book. What heads, bodies and legs can you match up to make a weird and wonderful new type of bird

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

Arty Afternoons: Breon O’Casey Bird Silhouettes
2025-05-10 14:30 - 15:30
Explore the Breon O’Casey artwork in our exhibition about birds. What colours and patterns can you see? What kind of bird do you think it is in the art? Make paper cutouts inspired by Breon O’Casey’s simple, colourful shapes.

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

Arty Afternoons: Air Dough Cornish Pottery
2025-05-03 14:30 - 15:30
Check out the Cornish pottery we have in our Social History Museum space. From Leach and Tremaen pottery to Celtic Folk designs, the pottery we have on display is full of vibrant patterns. Taking inspiration from these designs, draw and score shapes and colours onto air dough to create your own Cornish pottery.

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

Arty Afternoons: Save our Seas Mixed Media Collage
2025-04-26 14:30 - 15:30
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
