Visit Penlee House & Museum

Penlee House is a gallery, museum, cafe and shop. Situated within Penlee Park, a space to reflect and great for family visits.

Click on the links on the right to find out more.

A space for exhibitions & events

Alongside our Exhibition programme we run a variety of community events and workshops. The Newlyn School and Social history galleries change often. Find out what’s on.

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A space to learn

Penlee House is committed to lifelong learning. We run workshops for all age groups and offer a school workshop programme.

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A space for all

Built in 1865, as the home of the Branwell family. Penlee House is home to many paintings by members of the Newlyn School. It is also home to the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society collection.

Click on the links on the right to find out more.

You can search and browse our collections online. We also have a section dedicated to the Newlyn School.

Magic lantern slide

Acc.no: PEZPH : 2009.454


Identification

Item: Equipment for Wrecking

Description: Wreck tongs and water glasses were used to recover articles lying on the seabed. The water glass is a tapered wooden box with handle(s). Open at the top, its bottom is closed by a piece of glass which could be held over the side of a boat, pushed down into the water, enabling the handler to see more effectively anything lying on the sea bed or on a submerged wreck. It eliminated disturbing reflections from the surface of the sea. The wreck tongs were used to grab and recover anything seen by the water glass. The wooden handle might be anything up to 18' long and the double tine of the tongs was hinged. It was closed by pulling on the atttached cord. These implements, once common household items in Cornwall, may have been used by smugglers.


Description

Height: 73 mm

Width: 76 mm

Material: Glass plate


Production

Method: Printed

Person: Gibson, Alexander


If you are interested in learning more about this item please contact us and reference "PEZPH : 2009.454"

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Penlee House is a beautiful art gallery and museum, set within sub-tropical gardens, with a great café.

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Welcome to  Penlee House Gallery & Museum

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Our vibrant exhibition programme celebrates the nationally important art and history of West Cornwall.

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Learning

Learning

From school visits to family activities, talks and walks, there are plenty of learning opportunities at Penlee House.

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Welcome to  Penlee House Gallery & Museum

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