Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Penlee House is best known for its permanent collection of paintings by artists of the 'Newlyn School' and Lamorna Group, which we are actively developing through purchases, gifts, bequests and long-term loans. Some of the most famous works include 'The Rain it Raineth Every Day' by Norman Garstin, 'School is Out' by Elizabeth Forbes, and 'Among the Missing' by Walter Langley. Our exhibitions usually include some works from this collection, but please note that there is no permanent fine art display. If you wish to see a particular painting, please telephone before your visit to check whether it will be on display. Penlee House's wide-ranging collections cover several disciplines, and our museum displays feature changing selections of works and artefacts from each subject area.

Collection details

Archaeology, Archives, Coins and Medals, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Industry, Land Transport, Law and Order, Maritime, Natural Sciences, Personalities, Photography, Religion, Science and Technology, Social History, Trade and Commerce

Key artists and exhibits

• Paintings by artists of the Newlyn School and Lamorna Group
• The Rain it Raineth Every Day by Norman Garstin
• School is Out by Elizabeth Forbes
• Among the Missing by Walter Langley
• Etchings and lithographs by such artists as Prout, Pentreath, Daniell, Garnier and Tonkin
• Textiles designed by Alec Walker who founded Cryséde
• Works by photographers such as Frith and Valentine, and also by local photographers such as Preston, Moody, Gibson, Richards, Penhaul
• Work from the early 1800s by such potters as Slooman of Penzance, to the more modern work by Troika, Celtic Pottery and Tremaen
• Newlyn Copper and jewellery
• Flint tools, hammer heads, arrowheads, querns, and an important collection of Bronze Age funeral urns and other pottery