Penlee House

Arty Afternoons: Peg dolls
2026-04-11 14:30 - 15:30 UTC
Discover the different people and outfits in the paintings and photos on display at Penlee House. Dress a peg doll by making your own outfits from fabric scraps and felt.

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

Baby Sensory
2026-04-13 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-04-27 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-05-11 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-05-25 10:00 - 11:30, 2026-06-08 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.

Little Penlee Explorers: Drop-in sessions for under 5s
2026-04-13 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-11 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-08 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.

FREE Public Guided Tours
2026-04-14 11:00 - 11:30, 2026-04-16 11:00 - 11:30, 2026-05-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-19 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-21 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-26 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-28 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-02 11:00 - 12:00 and 2 more dates
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.

Easter Holidays - Arty Afternoons: Self-portrait with a fancy frame
2026-04-16 13:30 - 15:30 | Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance
Come and see the portraits in the current exhibitions and find out how to draw a face. Draw a self-portrait and make a fancy, golden frame. Maybe even dress up as a Newlyn School character and take a photo of yourself in your golden frame

Arty Afternoons: Jigsaw of a portrait
2026-04-18 14:30 - 15:30
Choose a portrait painting or photograph from our exhibition and turn it into a jigsaw. You can draw your own jigsaw too, maybe a self portrait design or a portrait of your favourite pet!

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

Talk: Capturing the Community – Then and Now
2026-04-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
Penlee House’s exhibition Harry Penhaul: Life through a Lens took us back to post-war Penwith. How did he choose his subjects? What makes his work so good? And how does this contrast with the work of photojournalists today? Greg Martin, himself a photojournalist, will talk about Penhaul’s way of working and how photojournalists go about telling stories today.
About Greg Martin: I worked predominantly as a photographer for over 20 years in Cornwall – originally as a surf photographer and magazine photo editor, and then for 10 years as a press photojournalist. In the end, I was the only full-time staff photojournalist in Cornwall. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to photograph presidents, prime ministers, princes, and, more importantly, the people of Cornwall.
This engaging talk offers a rare chance to look beyond the images: to understand not just what we see, but how and why those moments were captured — and what it really means to tell a story with a camera.
📅 Date: 21 April 2026
🕝 Time: 7.30 pm
📍 Venue: The Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
🎟️ Tickets: £7 Friends | £15 General admission
👉 Book now to secure your place!

Arty Afternoons: Sew a fish!
2026-05-02 14:30 - 15:30
Look closely at the beautiful painting ‘The Zandvoort Fishergirl’ by Elizabeth Forbes on display in our new exhibition at Penlee House – what is she holding? Join us to have a go at embroidery by sewing and decorating a felt fish, just like the ones on the plate in the image.

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

Arty Afternoons: Layered Landscape Collage
2026-05-09 14:30 - 15:30
Explore the landscapes in our new exhibition, such as Hilda Bernstein’s ‘Forest’ etching or Laura Knight’s ‘Windermere’ oil painting. Look closely at how the landscapes look layered and recreate this by collaging different types of paper.

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

Arty Afternoons: Everyday life – Observation Drawing
2026-05-16 14:30 - 15:30
Investigate the artworks in our exhibition that include everyday objects. Learn how to compose and draw a still life and create your own everyday life artwork.
FREE family activities take place every Saturday; drop in anytime between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Talk: Before Cryséde: Newlyn and the women who helped create an international silk company
2026-05-19 19:30 - 21:00 | Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
It has always seemed surprising to me that Cryséde Silks, which, in 1918, should have originated in Newlyn – a village, predominantly known for its fishing industry, and situated far away from any major fashionable town or city. The company produced unique hand-designed and hand-made silk dresses, which would be sold all over the world.
Janet Axten has been researching the people and events that led up to the formation of Cryséde. She has looked at the expansion of the town due to the creation of the new piers in the 1880s, and the opening of the Industrial Class; the newly established Arts and Crafts movement of the 1890s, producing, among other things, fine copper and enamel ware. She has also identified the accomplishments of the painter Elizabeth Forbes, who, at the turn of the twentieth century, encouraged a generation of fashionable and talented young women to attend the Forbes School of Painting. These included Katherine Earle (who would co-create Cryséde Silks)
Social history usually ignores the contribution that women have made to a local economy. ‘Before Cryséde’ aims to give these women a voice by identifying who they were and what they did.
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: The Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
Tickets: £7 Friends | £15 General admission
Book now to secure your place!

Arty afternoons: Rag rugs / Weaving
2026-05-23 14:30 - 15:30
Can you find the textile pieces on display in the Making Her Mark exhibition? What different techniques can you see? Join us to create either a rag rug or a woven piece that you can display in your home.

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

May Half Term - Arty Afternoons: Colourful, Geometrical Abstract Painting!
2026-05-28 13:30 - 15:30
Taking inspiration from the bold and colourful artwork ‘Sikar II’ by Gillian Ayres, which is on display in Penlee House Gallery, use geometrical shapes and bold colours to paint an abstract artwork of your own.
FREE drop-in, between 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm no need to book.

Arty Afternoons: Mount and frame your artworks
2026-05-30 14:30 - 15:30
Wander around the gallery spaces and explore how the different artworks have been mounted and framed. Create an artwork of your own and make a mount and frame to give it a professional gallery look. How will you frame your artwork? What do you want people to focus on when they look at your piece?

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

Arty Afternoons: Scratch an Artwork!
2026-06-06 14:30 - 15:30
Look closely at Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s artwork ‘Atlantic Squall.’ It looks like lots of little lines and patterns. Using coloured crayons, make a colourful background, then add black over the top and scratch out a picture. The bright colours will be revealed!

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