Penlee House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Penlee House Gallery and Museum |
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Penlee House & Cross
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| General information | |
| Location | Penzance, Cornwall, England |
| Coordinates | 50°6′59″N 5°32′28″W / 50.11639°N 5.54111°W |
Penlee House is a cool place in Penzance, Cornwall, where you can explore a museum and an art gallery. It's famous for its amazing collection of paintings by artists from the Newlyn School of Painting. You'll find works by famous painters like Stanhope Forbes, Norman Garstin, Walter Langley, and Lamorna Birch.
Penlee House is looked after by the Penzance Town Council, working with Cornwall Council. Some of the most well-known paintings here include The Rain It Raineth Every Day by Norman Garstin, School is Out by Elizabeth Forbes, Among the Missing by Walter Langley, and On Paul Hill by Stanhope Forbes.
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The Story of Penlee House
Penlee House was built in 1865 for a rich family called the Branwells. John Richards Branwell, a wealthy miller and merchant, had it built as his home. The house and its gardens were thought to be very beautiful.
After John Richards Branwell passed away in 1902, his daughter Edith took care of the house. When she died in 1918, it went to her older brother, Alfred. After Alfred's death in 1939, his two daughters, Mrs. Vera Hancock and Mrs. Sybil Ferguson, sold the property.
In 1946, the Penzance Borough Council bought the house and its park. They wanted to create Penlee Park as a special memorial for those who died in World War II. Penlee House officially opened as the Penzance District Museum in 1949.
Over the years, the ownership changed a bit. In 1974, Penwith District Council took over the museum and park. But since 1985, the Penzance Town Council has owned and run the site.
The museum's collections came from the old Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society. This society started in 1839 and first kept its collections in the dome of the Market House in Penzance.
In the 1990s, Penzance Town Council did a big renovation of Penlee House. They added modern facilities to properly care for and display the important art collection. On the first floor, you can find rooms dedicated to the history of the Penwith (Land's End) area, including its ancient past and how people lived there.
Discover the Newlyn School Artists
Penlee House is home to many amazing paintings by artists from the Newlyn School. This group of artists lived and worked in the Newlyn area from around 1880 to 1940.
The beautiful scenery of Cornwall has always attracted artists. In the 1880s, many British painters started coming to Newlyn. A lot of them had studied art in big cities like Paris or Antwerp. Newlyn was perfect because it offered scenes of everyday life that hadn't been changed much by the Industrial Revolution. It also had affordable places to live and people who were happy to pose for paintings. Soon, many artists settled there, forming the famous Newlyn School.
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School Is Out, by Elizabeth Adela Forbes, shows a schoolroom in the village of Paul, near Newlyn. It was painted in 1889.
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Abbey Slip by Stanhope Forbes: a view of Abbey Basin and slipway.
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Eyes and No Eyes by Frank Bramley shows a fisherman trying to mend sails.
The Museum's Journey
The museum at Penlee House was first called the Penzance and District Museum. It was started in 1839 by the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Its first home was in the Market House, which had just been built. The museum was in the building's dome and held a mix of natural science, Archaeology, and cultural items.
In 1867, the museum moved to the new St John’s Hall. However, the society that ran it almost disappeared, and the museum went into a quiet period. When the society reformed in the 1880s, they had to sell some items to pay off debts. Many natural history items were also damaged by insects and later destroyed.
The museum stayed in St John’s Hall until 1947. In 1937, the society sold its collections to the Penzance Borough Council. The agreement was that the items would be shown to the public. Sadly, many items went missing when they were put into storage in 1939. For example, a large Egyptian collection, a Bronze Age gold necklace, and even a shrunken head are now gone.
After World War II, the owners of the Penlee Estate planned to sell the land for building and tear down the house. The Mayor, Robert Thomas, asked the public to help buy the estate. They wanted it to be a War Memorial. The estate was about 15 acres, and it cost £13,000. They decided to use the house as a museum and arts center.
The museum officially opened in its new home on June 24, 1949. It was managed by the Borough Librarian until 1974. Then, Penzance lost its borough status, and the museum became part of Penwith District Council. In 1985, the Penlee Estate went back to the Penzance Town Council.
In the 1990s, a lot of money was raised from different groups, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This money helped completely renovate the museum and art gallery. The building was updated with new gallery spaces, a lift, a cafe, and a shop. They made sure to keep the feeling of the original Victorian home while adding modern features to protect the collections.
Penlee House Museum Today
The museum started in 1839, and its collections cover 6000 years of history in west Cornwall. You can learn about amazing archaeological sites and the area's more recent social history. The social history gallery has lots of interesting items that show the unique and often surprising heritage of the area.
The Social History and Archaeology galleries show how people have lived and worked in West Cornwall for thousands of years. You can see Bronze Age jewelry found nearby, 1930s fashion, and even a homemade bike!
The Ancient Penlee Cross
Outside the museum, you'll see a large granite cross that is very old, dating back to the 11th century. This cross has been moved at least three times! Its first home was in the Green Market in Penzance. Back then, this cross was used to measure the boundaries of Penzance. Any settlements within half a mile of the cross were considered part of the town and had to pay local taxes.
In 1829, it was moved a short distance to a house on North Street. When that house was torn down around 1868, the cross moved again to the western end of the Market House.
In July 1899, it was moved to Morrab Gardens. Then, in 1953, it moved to Penlee Park. Finally, on September 23, 1997, the cross was placed in its current spot near the new entrance to Penlee House. You can walk around it and see all four sides. It stands about 2.07 meters (about 6.8 feet) tall.
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