Penlee House

FREE Public Guided Tours
2024-03-05 14:00 UTC
Our team of Volunteer Tour Guides will be offering insights into the current exhibition through a program of short guided tours.
Tours will be offered at 11.00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The tours are included in the admission price to the Gallery and last between 30 and 45 minutes. No booking is required, but places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lecture: Harold Harvey Painter of Cornwall with Alison Bevan, Directorof RWA, Bristol
2024-06-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Zennor Lecture Theatre, Penzance, TR18 2SA
Wednesday 26 June, 7.00pm, Zennor Lecture Theatre, Penwith College
Join us for an enlightening evening as we welcome Alison Bevan BEM BA FMA, Director of the RWA, Bristol (Royal West of England Academy), for an illustrated lecture on the renowned artist Harold Harvey.
Penzance-born, Harvey was a prominent figure in the Newlyn School artists’ colony, a group of artists who captured the beauty of Cornwall from 1880 to 1940.
This exclusive event, hosted by the Friends of Penlee House, is only open to members of the Friends of Penlee House with no booking required and no admission charge. Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into the life and work of a true ‘son of Cornwall’ with a distinguished expert in the field.

Friends of Penlee House AGM 2024
2024-06-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Zennor Lecture Theatre, Penzance, TR18 2SA
The AGM will take place on Wednesday 26 June, at 7.00 pm at the Zennor Lecture Theatre, Penwith College (TR18 2SA)
Papers for the AGM will go out in early June.

Arty Afternoons: Mirror on the wall
2024-06-22 14:30 - 15:30
Be inspired by the interiors in Harold Harvey’s paintings to create a room scene; put a mirror on the wall so you can be in your own picture!

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

Arty Afternoons: Mini Farms
2024-06-15 14:30 - 15:30
Come along and spot the farm workers and farm animals in the paintings at Penlee House then make a mini farm using card.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Arty Afternoons: Draw a Detail
2024-06-08 14:30 - 15:30
Which bits of Harold Harvey’s paintings are your favourites? Choose some details to create new mini artworks.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Arty Afternoons: Tin Badges
2024-06-01 14:30 - 15:30
There are both china clay and tin mines in Harold Harvey’s painting. Come and see some replica tin ingots and use their designs to create your own ‘tin’ badge.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Half Term Activity: Peg Dolls
2024-05-30
Be inspired by all the different outfits in Harold Harvey’s paintings to create a peg doll.

Arty Afternoons: Paper Flowers
2024-05-25 14:30 - 15:30
There are lots of paintings of people picking flowers in The Exceptional Harold Harvey exhibition. Which type of flower will you craft?
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Arty Afternoons: Mix and Match Books
2024-05-18 14:30 - 15:30
There are so many hats, faces and clothing styles in the Harold Harvey exhibition. Come along and create a paper mix and match book, where you can muddle up what people are wearing!
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Arty Afternoons: Mining Landscapes
2024-05-11 14:30 - 15:30
Harold Harvey was unusual amongst the Newlyn School artists as he painted mining scenes as well as fishing and farming. Use oil pastels to create your own mining landscape.

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

Relaxed Opening for May
2024-05-11 09:00 - 11:00
Join us for a relaxed opening at Penlee House. This event is designed for visitors with sensory needs or those needing a quieter, more relaxed visit, plus their families, friends and carers.
Our friendly team will be around to talk to if you would like to, with objects to handle and a simple making activity. Light and sound levels will be adjusted to provide a more comfortable environment and there will be a quiet space available.
Penlee House will open early at 9am, with exclusive use until 10am, when the Gallery will open to the general public. Sounds will be turned back on at 11am.
For more accessibility information, you can view our Accessibility page which contains our access guides.
If you have any questions, please contact Zoe.

Arty Afternoons: Dress a Figure
2024-05-04 14:30 - 15:30
See the wide range of clothes the people in Harold Harvey’s paintings are wearing and use fabric collages to dress a paper figure.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Arty Afternoons: Fishy Mobile
2024-04-27 14:30 - 15:30
Explore all things fishy in the gallery. From paintings with shiny scaled fish being packed on the harbourside to objects in our social history gallery. Using acetate and sticky backed plastic, create shimmering fish and string them together as a mobile.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Arty Afternoons: Zoom in and Mark Make
2024-04-20 14:30 - 15:30
View Martina Thomas’ paintings through a viewfinder and choose the patterns and mark making you like to best. Fill up shapes with different techniques and colours using a variety of drawing equipment.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Lecture: An Evening of Archaeology
2024-04-17 19:30 - 20:30
Dick Cole, the Sites Officer for the Cornwall Heritage Trust, will give a talk about the significance of the archaeological sites, which the Trust owns and looks after in West Cornwall, along with information about ongoing maintenance and volunteer engagement with the historic landscape of West Penwith. The sites include Caer Bran, Carn Euny, Sancreed Beacon and Tregonning Hill, near Helston. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear about the rich and diverse archaeological sites cared for by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Lectures take place at 7.30 p.m. at Penlee House (unless otherwise stated). Booking is essential.
Purchase tickets now via EventBrite

John le Carré Social History Exhibition
2024-04-17 - 2024-05-06
This exhibition is being mounted in conjunction with the inaugural John le Carré Memorial Lecture which will be presented on 2 May 2024 by The Morrab Library at the Acorn Theatre, Penzance.

David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré, was a British Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, and is considered one of the greatest novelists of the postwar era. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Most of le Carré’s books are spy stories set during the Cold War (1945–91) and portray British Intelligence agents as unheroic political functionaries, aware of the moral ambiguity of their work and engaged more in psychological than physical drama. Le Carré’s third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. Following its publication, he left MI6 to become a full-time writer.
His novels include The Looking Glass War (1965), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), Smiley’s People (1979), The Little Drummer Girl (1983), The Night Manager (1993), The Tailor of Panama (1996), The Constant Gardener (2001), A Most Wanted Man (2008) and Our Kind of Traitor (2010).
Le Carré, who lived in St Buryan until his death in 2020, at age 89, was a passionate supporter of the Morrab Library from the 1970s, later serving as president (1997-2002), then for many years as a patron. He had a special interest in encouraging young people to read and be inspired by the place. He was also a Vice-President of the Friends of Penlee House from 1997 to 2020.
The lecture, which is sponsored by The Arts Society West Cornwall, is planned to be a biennial event. This year’s speaker is Mick Herron, celebrated author of the Slow Horses / Slough House espionage novels.
Penlee House Gallery & Museum and The Morrab Library would like to thank the Cornwell family for the loan of these items, and to Vicki Phillips – who worked for John le Carré for nearly 20 years – for her help in assembling this collection.
