Penlee House Gallery & Museum — Attraction in Penzance

Penlee House Art Gallery & Museum will introduce the visitor to painters from the Newlyn School of Art (an art colony that existed in Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, from the 1880s until the early years of the twentieth century. It was similar to groups like the Barbizon School in France, and the "en plein eir" movement in Calfornia). With this close a focus, you won't be surprised that the collection isn't huge, but it does include major works by regional painters like Stanhope Forbes.

The admission price is UKP 5 (single adult), which seems reasonable. The concession price is UKP 4.

The permanent Newlyn School display covers the second floor, where you will also find some small rooms with archaeological artefacts and objects from Penzance/Newlyn's social history, as well as photographic exhibits.

When I visited, there was a temporary exhibition on over 70 works by SJ "Lamorna" Birch (1869-1955, see photos), a self-taught but talented (mostly) landscape painter who also mentored other local artists.

Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos of the paintings (no such restrictions apply to the artefacts), but I did manage to "steal" a few shots to give you an impression of the kind of paintings that you can expect to see. Of course, various books on the Newlyn School (and others) are available from the smallish gallery shop.

Staff were very friendly (and ever so politely told me to stop taking photos, which I did). Another highlight is the adjacent, atmospheric garden area, which is very inviting.

Penlee House is one of the prettiest of the many small, regional museums in England that I've visited over the course of the past ten years, and also very family-friendly. But it will not occupy you for more than one...

Penlee's temporary exhibition "Artists by themselves" drew me from Bodmin to Penzance on a very pleasant Spring day. It was an enjoyable show. The work is all well lit with information panels sustaining narrative interest connecting a series of portraits of the ever varying group of Penzance, Newlyn and Lamorna artists.

The work displays good craftspersonship across a range of media and genre including pencil cartoons, large and intimate oils, various etching styles and one, very evocative, almost abstract, charcoal figure. There are also a number of photos, some digitally reproduced and one double portrait by Laura Knight set within a colourful, panoramic landscape.

Upstairs are examples of local history and archeological finds potentially going back 4,000 yrs. There is also a room of a few show piece works, by Stanhope Forbes and his contemporaries, which include three digitally animated "cover versions." The digital versions have a certain charm without adding anything particularly thought provoking.

Down stairs is a useful range of books on Cornish artists including past catalogues alongside a well stocked refreshments area that has both indoor and outdoor seating. Downstairs is accessible to wheelchairs. There is a lift to the...

A great gallery that houses the works of the artists of the the Newlyn School and the Lamorna group who were active in the late 19th and early 20th century. There are some great paintings of landscapes and the people and industry, mainly fishing, of Penzance and the surrounding area. They also have along with the regular collection a museum collection which centres on local history. A changing exhibition takes place throughout the year that features individuals or groups who have had some relationship with the locality. Due to the area having been a magnet for artists for many years the quality of the work exhibited is of an unusually high standard. The Penlee is a substantive building set in attractive grounds with a pleasant restaurant/cafe and gift shop with a range of books and other items featuring the work of artists which the...