|
 c.1880 HISTORY OF PENLEE HOUSE Penlee House was built in 1865 for the wealthy Penzance miller and merchant, John Richards Branwell. The house is built in the Italianate style and is probably the work of the Penzance Borough architect John Matthews. In 1860, J. R. Branwell began a series of land purchases on the Western outskirts of Penzance with the intention of providing a site for his new home and a large park to surround it. During the refurbishment of Penlee House in 1997 a stair tread was found with handmade nails marked with the year 1864, which confirms that the house was under construction in that year. The parkland surrounding Penlee House was laid out with formal and informal gardens and a lodge was built at the Trewithen Road end of the park. When the house was first built, Morrab Road was not in existence and the Penlee House Estate directly bordered onto the Morrab House Estate, the home of Charles Campbell Ross MP, which later became Morrab Library and Morrab Gardens.  c.1880 Penlee House originally contained three reception rooms, a dining room, breakfast room and drawing room, with a scullery kitchen, butler's pantry, dairy and office. The first floor was approached by a formal staircase from the hall which is still in existence, and via a servants' staircase. There were three main bedrooms, including separate bedrooms for J.R. Branwell and his wife. A small dressing room and a large bathroom were approached through the main bedroom. There were a further four small bedrooms which over the years were used by members of the family or as servant accommodation and later as junk rooms/storage. In 1946 the estate was purchased by public subscription to be a War Memorial which would also house the Town's historic and art collections. The house opened as the District Museum in 1949 with further refurbishment taking place in 1974. In more recent years the building has been completely refurbished, but every attempt has been made to retain the character of a mid-Victorian villa. |
