Museum of Cornish Life
Free museum in Helston's old market building with three floors of Cornish social history, archaeology, minerals and the inventor Henry Trengrouse.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museum of Cornish Life, also known as Helston Museum, was founded in 1949 and is housed in Helston's former Market House and Drill Hall behind the Guildhall. The market building was designed in 1837 as two separate halls, one for butter and eggs and the other for meat, and it keeps its original sloping granite floor. The museum expanded into the meat market in 1983 and into the adjoining Drill Hall in 1999, when a suspended gallery called the Loft was added, which also allowed a temporary exhibition gallery.
Outside the building stands a cannon from the wreck of the frigate HMS Anson, which foundered off Loe Bar in 1807 with the loss of around 100 sailors. The disaster led to the life-saving work of the Helston inventor Henry Trengrouse, who is featured in the Drill Hall.
The collection is described as one of the largest social and cultural history collections in the South West. It includes archaeology from the Lizard Peninsula and the Roman site at Magor, zeolite minerals from Dean Quarry, a stocked 1950s kitchen, a recreated serpentine turner's workshop, costume and textiles, and objects linked to Helston's Flora Day spring festival. It also has its largest object, a five-ton cider press.
Highlights
- Three floors in the former Helston Market House and Drill Hall
- Display on the inventor Henry Trengrouse and the HMS Anson wreck
- Finds from the Lizard Peninsula and the Roman site at Magor
- Recreated 1950s kitchen and serpentine turner's workshop
- Free entry, with sensory map and sensory backpack
Permanent exhibitions
- Henry Trengrouse – Display in the Drill Hall on the Helston inventor whose ingenuity helped to save lives at sea.
- 1950s kitchen and serpentine turner's workshop – A fully stocked 1950s kitchen and a recreated workshop for turning Lizard serpentine.
- Founded
- 1949
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission; visitors can simply turn up.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum is in an old market building with sloping granite floors and some uneven surfaces. The front door has steps, and there is flat access through an entrance on the right-hand side of the building. A lift serves all floors. An Easy Read visiting guide, a sensory map, a sensory backpack and a five-minute audio introduction are available.
Kids & families
The Learning section offers things to make and do, and a sensory backpack can be borrowed.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Regular buses link Helston with Penzance, Hayle, Praa Sands, Porthleven, Falmouth, Redruth, Camborne and Truro, with many services to the Lizard; for trains, use bus routes to the stations at Redruth, Camborne and Truro.
By car
Paid parking
The nearest pay and display car park is on Wendron Street (TR13 8PS); next are Tyacke Road (TR13 8RY) and Trengrouse Way (TR13 8AG). Three 30-minute spaces outside the museum are for drop-off and pick-up.
The museum is in Market Place down the steps between the Guildhall and Lloyds Bank; it can also be reached from the CAST building by the granite steps on its café terrace. The what3words address is songs.sudden.escalated.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
The museum has a shop.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The learning programme includes make-and-do activities, loan boxes and school sessions. A 360-degree virtual tour is available on the website. |
