Cornish Heritage in Penzance - Programme of Activities
Cornish Heritage in Penzance activities can be found by clicking one of the categories below
Our latest presentation at Cornish Heritage in Penzance
Click on the posters to expand the view
Our programme advance notice is subject to additional events, activities and illustrated talks. Posters for these will be added as and when these are confirmed.
Details of the latest presentations can be seen enlarged by clicking the images.
All are welcome to attend and most of these events are free. Please donate to help support the sharing of local Penzance and Cornish heritage in Penzance.
A showcase of earlier illustrated talks carried out by Cornish Heritage in Penzance at their centre at 62 Morrab Road, the former Penzance Library can be seen below. These have included a wide selection of local and Cornish topics.
Our earlier presentations at Cornish Heritage in Penzance
Click on the posters to expand the view
Projects
The Dr Borlase Project
Is there an aspect of Penwith history you are curious about? Join a short term project to research and share a specific piece of Penwith History, of your choosing, with a small group of people.
Cornish Heritage in Penzance has received funding from the Penwith Landscape Partnership to run a project on Dr William Borlase, rightly known as the 'The Father of Cornish Studies' (1696-1772). As part of this we will run a short-term Penwith history project where participants identify an aspect of Penwith history to research. The group will follow a 'manifesto' derived from the way in which Dr Borlase himself worked:
The Borlase 'Manifesto'
- Choose a topic about Penwith's natural history or historic environment, or the Cornish language of Penwith.
- Produce a tightly-written notebook of observations.
- Correspond with someone (probably within the group) about your research, preferably by handwritten letter!
- Teach someone.
- Publish (online, or hard copy).
Contact us to find out more at: admin@bewnanskernow.org
Exhibitions
The first exhibitions at Cornish Heritage in Penzance begin on 1 August 2023 with the theme for our first year is 'Cornish Curiosity'. We will look at the people and institutions behind the development of our knowledge of Cornwall.
Dr William Borlase - Pioneer of Cornish Research in the eighteenth century. Dr Borlase was Rector of Ludgvan and St Just, and the author of 'The Antiquities of Cornwall' and the 'Natural History of Cornwall'.
'Tell Me What's Happening in My Duchy of Cornwall !' This exhibition will explore The Register of Edward the Black Prince 1351-1365 - a twice weekly record of events in the Duchy of Cornwall in the fourteenth century, compiled by the Duke's officials to inform the first Duke of Cornwall.
Dr Barham's Questions - Dr Barham, a surgeon from Truro, was commissioned to write a report on the work, homelife and health of children and young people working in the Cornish mines. His investigations and questions led to the 1842 Report which includes first-hand accounts from young people.
A Building for The Curious - This building, the former Penzance Public Library building, has a long history of nurturing the curious. It began its life as the Penzance Mining and Science School. The exhibition will look at the history of this much-loved civic building and the stories of the people behind its operation.