Penlee House
Encyclopedia
Penlee House is a museum
and art gallery
located in the town of Penzance in Cornwall
, and is home to a great many painting
s by members of the Newlyn School, including many by such luminaries as Stanhope Forbes
, Norman Garstin
, Walter Langley
and Lamorna Birch
. Penlee house is currently operated by Penzance
Town Council in association with Cornwall Council. Its most famous painting is "The Rain it Raineth" by Norman Garstin who lived for many years in Wellington Terrace, on the edge of the park.
The house was purchased by the Penzance Borough council in 1946 along with the surrounding Penlee Park as a memorial to the dead of World War II and was formally opened as the Penzance District Museum in 1949. In 1974 the ownership of this museum passed to Penwith District Council, and since 1985 Penzance Town Council owns and operates the site.
The collections housed within the museum were originally taken from what remained of the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society
collection (founded in 1839) which was originally housed within the dome of the Market House in Penzance.
During the 1990s Penzance Town Council conducted a major refurbishment of the building providing up to date facilities for housing its important and historic art collection. On the first floor, there are rooms dedicated to the prehistory of Cornwall and the social history of West Penwith.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
located in the town of Penzance in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and is home to a great many painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s by members of the Newlyn School, including many by such luminaries as Stanhope Forbes
Stanhope Forbes
Stanhope Alexander Forbes R.A., , was an artist and member of the influential Newlyn school of painters...
, Norman Garstin
Norman Garstin
Norman Garstin was an Irish artist associated with the Newlyn School of painters.He was born in Caherconlish, Co. Limerick, Ireland, and was involved in various professions such as journalism and gold mining in South Africa...
, Walter Langley
Walter Langley
Walter Langley was an English painter and founder of the Newlyn School of plein air artists. He was born in Birmingham and his father was a journeyman tailor. At 15 he was apprenticed to a lithographer. At 21 he won a scholarship to South Kensington and he studied designing there for two years...
and Lamorna Birch
Lamorna Birch
Samuel John "Lamorna" Birch, RA, RWS was an artist in oils and watercolours. At the suggestion of fellow artist Stanhope Forbes, Birch adopted the soubriquet "Lamorna" to distinguish himself from Lionel Birch, an artist who was also working in the area at that time.-Biography:Lamorna Birch was...
. Penlee house is currently operated by Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
Town Council in association with Cornwall Council. Its most famous painting is "The Rain it Raineth" by Norman Garstin who lived for many years in Wellington Terrace, on the edge of the park.
History
Penlee house was originally built in 1865 as the home of the wealthy Branwell family.The house was purchased by the Penzance Borough council in 1946 along with the surrounding Penlee Park as a memorial to the dead of World War II and was formally opened as the Penzance District Museum in 1949. In 1974 the ownership of this museum passed to Penwith District Council, and since 1985 Penzance Town Council owns and operates the site.
The collections housed within the museum were originally taken from what remained of the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society
Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society
Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society was a local society founded in Penzance in Cornwall, England, UK, whose aim was "the cultivation of the science of Natural History, and for the investigation of the Antiquities referring to the early inhabitants." It was established at a public...
collection (founded in 1839) which was originally housed within the dome of the Market House in Penzance.
During the 1990s Penzance Town Council conducted a major refurbishment of the building providing up to date facilities for housing its important and historic art collection. On the first floor, there are rooms dedicated to the prehistory of Cornwall and the social history of West Penwith.