Friends of Penlee House

07/09/2026

✨ Only 20 days left! ✨

Women have played a vital role in shaping British art, yet their contributions have too often been underrepresented, overlooked and undervalued. Making Her Mark brings these remarkable stories to the forefront.

Our countdown image celebrates that connection between past and present. Elaine Lorys, the first female certified Master Fishmonger in the UK, stands alongside Elizabeth Forbes’s Zandvoort Fishergirl — highlighting the important role women have always played in the fishing industry.

Spanning from the mid-19th century to the present day, Making Her Mark celebrates remarkable artists including Elizabeth Forbes, Laura Knight, Dod Procter, Caroline Walker, Tracey Emin and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, alongside many others.

Bringing together over 50 outstanding works by women artists, the exhibition is the result of a unique collaboration between Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, and Kirkcaldy Galleries, part of cultural charity OnFife.

This major exhibition is part of Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with major support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Julia Rausing Trust.

📅 Just 20 days to go — come and discover the women who made their mark on British art.
Stevenson Newlyn Love Penzance Penzance Council Friends of Penlee House

02/09/2026

We are delighted to announce that the first talk of our new season is ‘David Haughton: St Just drawings, paintings and etchings’.

Frances Lord, David Haughton’s daughter, will explore David Haughton’s life and career (1924-1991), notably his meticulously observed and rendered drawings, paintings and etchings of the former mining town of St Just, and his legacy as an inspirational teacher.

The talk will contextualise Haughton’s work in relation to post-war British art and the ‘St Ives scene’, and his friends and contemporaries including Prunella Clough, Barbara Hepworth, Rose Hilton, Ben Nicholson, John Wells and Bryan Wynter (to name but a few).

Date: Tuesday 22 September
Time: 7.30 pm
Location: Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
Cost: £7 for Friends. £15 for General Admission

(David Haughton, Queen Street, 1960, Etching, Artist’s Proof © David Haughton Estate)

14/07/2026

03/07/2026

SEEKING SUNDAY STEWARDS

Summer Sunday openings have now started at Penlee House and run until 27 September. Room stewards are needed for these. Morning sessions are 10 am to 1.30 pm, and afternoons are 1.30 – 4.30 pm.

If you can help with any sessions, please contact David Trevivian: [email protected]

02/07/2026

Due to a temporary VAT reduction, we're pleased to offer lower admission prices for a limited time.

🎟️ General Admission – £7
🎟️ Ages 18–26 – £3.50
🎟️ Under 18s – FREE

There's never been a better time to explore, discover and enjoy a day out with us.

📅 Offer available until Tuesday 1 September – don't miss out!
Penzance Council Friends of Penlee House Love Penzance Penzance BID

18/06/2026

Thank you to all the Friends who came to our AGM last night. It was wonderful to see everybody. Thank you also to Alison Bevan for an outstanding lecture on Penlee House’s current exhibition Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art.

If you are yet to see the new exhibition, please do, you won’t regret it.

Elizabeth Adela Forbes née Armstrong ARWS (1859 - 1912)
A Zandvoort Fishergirl, 1884, Oil on canvas
Penlee House Gallery & Museum, on loan from Newlyn Art Gallery

31/05/2026

We received some absolutely wonderful feedback on our last event, Before Cryséde.

‘It was a fascinating talk. The speaker was very knowledgeable.”

“A lovely and very informative evening.”

“[a] wonderful speaker, we enjoyed her talk immensely.”

Our lectures are a key offering to our Friends, and we’re thrilled to get such wonderful feedback.

Please have a look at our website for our upcoming events, and we hope you’ll enjoy them just as much.

20/05/2026

Huge Congratulations!

🏆 Penlee House wins Exhibition of the Year 🏆

We are delighted to have won Exhibition of the Year at the Cornwall Heritage Awards, hosted by Cornwall Council .

We are also thrilled that Milo Berwick received Commended in the One to One category, recognising their fantastic volunteering work at the Gallery.

Penlee House won the Exhibition of the Year (Larger Venues) award for The Shape of Things: Our Place in a Changing Climate, which ran from 5 February to 26 April 2025.

The exhibition explored the effects of climate change in Cornwall through historic artworks and photographs from the Penlee House collections, created in collaboration with more than 30 organisations, schools, community groups and environmental champions.

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees — Cornwall’s heritage community is truly fantastic!

📸 Pictured: Zoe Burkett, Education Officer, and Katie Smith, Learning Assistant.
Love Penzance Penzance Council Friends of Penlee House Geddon PZ The Arts Society West Cornwall Penzance Voice Coast FM BBC Cornwall

05/05/2026

Our next talk is a fascinating exploration of the women behind Cryséde Silks and their incredible contributions to the local economy!

📅 Date: 19 May 2026
🕝 Time: 7:30 PM
📍 Venue: The Queen’s Hotel, Penzance
🎟️ Tickets: £7 for Friends | £15 for General Admission

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the rich history of Newlyn, the impact of the Arts and Crafts movement, and the inspiring stories of talented women who shaped the fashion world. Janet Axten will share her extensive research that brings these voices to light.

Tickets from our website and usual links. We look forward to seeing you.

30/04/2026

We were delighted to see Gurnards Head, No.2, 1947 by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912 - 2004) a painting the Friends helped to buy in 2024, as part of the outstanding Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art exhibition, which opened at Penlee House yesterday.

The exhibition which is a unique collaboration between Penlee House, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, and Kirkcaldy Galleries runs until 27 September 2026.