Penlee House Art Gallery & Museum will introduce the visitor to painters from the Newlyn School of…read moreArt (an art colony that existed in Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, from the 1880s until the early years of the twentieth century. It was similar to groups like the Barbizon School in France, and the "en plein eir" movement in Calfornia). With this close a focus, you won't be surprised that the collection isn't huge, but it does include major works by regional painters like Stanhope Forbes. The admission price is UKP 5 (single adult), which seems reasonable. The concession price is UKP 4. The permanent Newlyn School display covers the second floor, where you will also find some small rooms with archaeological artefacts and objects from Penzance/Newlyn's social history, as well as photographic exhibits. When I visited, there was a temporary exhibition on over 70 works by SJ "Lamorna" Birch (1869-1955, see photos), a self-taught but talented (mostly) landscape painter who also mentored other local artists. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos of the paintings (no such restrictions apply to the artefacts), but I did manage to "steal" a few shots to give you an impression of the kind of paintings that you can expect to see. Of course, various books on the Newlyn School (and others) are available from the smallish gallery shop. Staff were very friendly (and ever so politely told me to stop taking photos, which I did). Another highlight is the adjacent, atmospheric garden area, which is very inviting. Penlee House is one of the prettiest of the many small, regional museums in England that I've visited over the course of the past ten years, and also very family-friendly. But it will not occupy you for more than one hour, 1.5h max.

The home of the Newlyn School of Art, a famous 19th and 20th century art colony based in the nearby…read moreport of Newlyn. Some quite extraordinary and beautiful paintings are on display which are regularly updated and changed. There is also an interesting local history display.

This pottery is located within 'Treasure Park' near Redruth. Confusingly the road signs vary…read morebetween Treasure Park and 'Cornish Goldmine' so it may be a bit tricky to find. The pottery sells lovely handpainted pots but, more to the point, lets you paint your own. You can choose a plate, mug bowl etc and then sit and paint it. They then glaze and fire it and you colelct it 48 hours later. Brilliant fun! The lady who runs the place was really friendly and obviously artistic herself. They coped brilliantly with both my husband (who's very arty) and me (who hasn't picked up a paint brush since school). We got a couple of great plates.

Past times is located on Boscawen Street (which is the busiest street in Truro City Centre). It has…read morea lot of very nice things from years gone by and is a brilliant place to shop for your parents/grandparents. There is a nice display of jewellery in the centre of the shop with some very fine items. There is a lot of nostalgia from the world wars and even some victorian items. It is an excellent shop.

A truly educational visit for the whole family. You learn all about how Semaphore was first…read moreinvented by an Englishman Robert Hooke and the kids (and adults) get to play with lots of gadgets and stuff which is good fun. The museum itself is underground and that in itself makes it fun, with mazes of tunnels to explore and find out how this revolutionary technique was started. Parking for disabled drivers and passengers is available close to the museum and disabled carers go in free. You can get drinks and ice creams and snacks to keep the kids happy.

A fascinating insight into a little piece of Cornwall's varied history…read more For something out of the ordinary, visit Porthcurno and prepared to be amazed.

Been there a few times and never excited, but this time I really regretted travelling from Newquay…read moreand wasting time! Expensive!! Strange layout and feel. General exhibition rather disjointed. History of the Pirates Exhibition: DISSAPOINTING: superficial, without much educational value. Would have been more interesting looking up the subject on Wikipedia etc. Privateers such as Walter Rayleigh, Francis Drake should have been mentioned! That is a big part of British History! Instead a big section about LGBT+ pirates ("Queer Pirates")... really? To put the icing on the cake (not literally) the the kitchen staff (rude plump older woman) in the food and drink area jumped in my face when I dared to ask a question about missing drink (politely!).

The National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth is a major attraction, but at UKP 13.50 it is…read morealso relatively expensive, maybe too expensive. Yes, the ticket allows you to re-visit the museum free of charge within the next 12 months., but how many people will actually take advantage of this? Very few, I presume. The museum itself is quite impressive, especially its spectacular, huge main hall (see photos) with a variety of boats, some of them famous, most of which are suspended from the floor. There is both printed and screen-terminal information on the history and type of the boats, so from an educational angle this is truly well done. "15 galleries" the museum promises, but try as I might my count is substantially lower. This might be because at the time of my visit, several rooms were occupied by a major temporary exhibition, "Titanic Stories". That display has attracted significant publicity - and because of its subject - will no doubt also attract a significant number of visitors. Personally, I found it rather to be a collection of book pages presented as display panels, as there is a lot more to read than to see. The only substantial object *from* the Titanic is one of its lifeboats - and it is a replica! The remaining objects are a motley assortment of minor pieces either from the Titanic or the Carpathia, but most of the exhibition is concerned with the "myth" the Titanic story created and how it found its way into books, movies and even board games. Frankly, I found the collection well presented but underwhelming. As for the rest of the galleries, there is e.g. a "Cornwall Gallery" which details the nautical history of the region, and another one specifically on Falmouth history. Illuminating, certainly, but nothing to occupy one for very long. From the top floor you have an impressive view over Falmouth harbour and parts of the town, and there's a large café for visitors which I did not visit (the area offers plenty of solid restaurants right next to the museum). The small fry get an opportunity to play with toy boats in the museum's indoor pool - another family-friendly feature. The presentation itself is certainly convincing. Content-wise, I was hoping for more.

Fantastically rich history : this place was designed & built in 1853 by Cornish…read more architect,Sivanus Travail in the English Gothic style.Bernard Leach the potter taught here,as did Ben Nicholson & Barbara Hepworth & was the Centre for British art for many pre war years. Latterly most famous for Terry Frost's work. It is beautifully stituated near the Penlee Art Gallery & gardens, just doors way, & minutes from the sea.

Great museum to visit on a rainy day. Very helpful and informative staff and they let you bring…read moreyour dog! It's free but make a donation to allow them to continue their work

This is a wonderful museum with many artefacts from the local farming community. This is what…read moremuseums should be like with relics that relate to local social history. The children will love it here as history is brought alive.

Quality/Quantity - Huge grounds, and sadly, we realized after leaving that we only walked half of…read moreit. Well, we have and will be visiting so many castles on this trip. Atmosphere - Several routes to the entrances of the castle, all of which take about the same time. We walked one route to the castle, and left with a different more scenic waterway route. Business hours are seasonal, see picture, Yelp, or website. It is best to check the website prior to going. But the walk to and from the castle is also good. Service - Good. Price - 18 pounds, not including a discount of almost 2 pounds when you show them you are from the cruise ship, see picture. Owner Suggestion - Congrats on your success since the 1540's.

Pendennis Castle is THE major historic attraction in Falmouth, and a must-see upon visiting this…read moresmall town on the Cornwall coast. Historically, the exhibits cover a period from between the reign of Henry VIII up to WWII, as Pendennis was still used as a military fort in the 1940s. In short: If you love cannons (And who doesn't!), you will want to visit this place! Also, you get splendid views of Falmouth Bay. The main castle compound is rather small indeed, and most of the "minor rooms" (like the quarter of the commandant) are essentially empty. No attempt has been made to re-create some of the furniture or objects to allow us a glimpse into how soldiers lived and worked during those days, which is what costs Pendennis Castle the fifth star in the rating, and even the printed information in the individual rooms is rather sparse. The main tower does feature a sizeable selection of historical cannons, and a (rather lame) black-and-white back projected attempt at an animation of how the soldiers were working the batteries. More impressive are the other military displays around the compound, and the fairly large grounds that you'll spend time walking in. These are mostly weapons from WWII, but there is another historic battery, too (some of the cannons are currently being restored). The area itself is a beautiful corner of Cornwall, and the views in and around the castle in themselves certainly merit a visit and the about UKP 10 you have to pay for them. The presentation is a tad old-fashioned, which also concerns the smallish gallery of barracks life, a building that also houses the rather lovely café with its nice outside seating area. All in all, Pendennis Castle makes a great day out for the family when the weather is good. A small shop features the usual souvenirs and you can also by a book-quality guide of the history of Pendennis Castle for a rather competitive UKP 4. There are no audio guides available. The staff were really nice and helpful when I visited, the atmosphere is very relaxed. See my pictures for a more detailed impression of the individual objects and attractions.