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Visit Penlee House & Museum

Penlee House is a Gallery, Museum, Cafe and Shop. Situated within Penlee Park, a space to reflect and great for family visits.

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A space for exhibitions & events

Alongside our Exhibition programme we run a variety of community events and workshops. The Newlyn School and Social history galleries change often. Find out what’s on.

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A space to learn

Penlee House is committed to lifelong learning. We run workshops for all age groups and offer a school workshop programme.

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A space for all

Built in 1865, as the home of the Branwell family. Penlee House is home to many paintings by members of the Newlyn School. It is also home to the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society collection.

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You can search and browse our collections online. We also have a section dedicated to the Newlyn School.

Procter, Ernest

Ernest Procter was a star student of the Forbes’ School of Painting when the teenage Doris ‘Dod’ Shaw arrived: the couple married a few years later and became one of several talented partnerships in their social set that included the Knights, Harveys, Garniers and Napers.

Biography

Ernest Procter – 1886 – 1935

Born in Northumberland, Ernest Procter was the son of a distinguished scientist and staunch Quaker. In 1907, he came to Newlyn to study at the Forbes’s School of Painting where he fast became a star student. After three years there, he went to Paris to attend the Atelier Colarossi, where he was joined by Doris (‘Dod’) Shaw, whom he had met at the Forbes’ school. The couple married in Newlyn in 1912, but did not settle there until after the First World War, Ernest having spent the War years in the Friends Ambulance Service.

In 1920, Procter and his close friend Harold Harvey set up a school of painting of their own in Newlyn, offering tuition in oils and watercolour, studying the Figure, Still Life and Landscape.

Dod and Ernest Procter were among those who painted religious scenes for the church of St. Hilary (near Penzance), at the request of Rev. Bernard Walke. These can still be seen there today.

In 1934, Procter was appointed Director of Studies in Design and Craft at Glasgow School of Art. He retained his base in Cornwall and continued to exhibit all over the country. Having long suffered from high blood pressure, the combined stress of the job and the travel doubtless contributed to his tragically early death, aged forty-nine, only a year later.

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Visit Us

Penlee House is a beautiful art gallery and museum, set within sub-tropical gardens, with a great café.

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Exhibitions

Our vibrant exhibition programme celebrates the nationally important art and history of West Cornwall.

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Learning

From school visits to family activities, talks and walks, there are plenty of learning opportunities at Penlee House.

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Our Café

Enjoy a delicious lunch or coffee at the Orangery Café, with its sunny terrace overlooking the park.

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