Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery

Over het museum

The museum is run by the Royal Institution of Cornwall, a charity founded in 1818 to promote excellence in science and art and to support the industries for which Cornwall was then known. Its collections grew over two centuries and now number more than one million objects, covering the lives of the people of Cornwall from the Bronze Age to the present, the county's geology and its wildlife. The Institution also publishes a respected academic journal that has appeared since 1864.

For almost thirty years the museum has occupied two buildings on River Street in Truro that were used together as one. Under the name Royal Cornwall Museum it showed its permanent collections in several galleries, including the Mineral Gallery, the Nature Gallery, the Heart of Cornwall Gallery, a gallery for ancient civilisations and an art gallery on the upper balconies.

In January 2024 the museum began a transformation programme to fix leaks that threatened the collections, update the visitor experience, improve accessibility and bring the art collection back into the centre of the building. As part of this it took the new name Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery. The Mineral Gallery, Nature Gallery, Heart of Cornwall and Art Gallery have been upgraded, and the museum has received National Lottery Heritage Fund support to plan a final phase that would unite the two buildings with a new welcome area and visitor route.

Hoogtepunten

• Heart of Cornwall Gallery telling the story of the county
• Mineral Gallery
• Nature Gallery
• Ancient Civilisations Gallery with the unwrapped mummy Iset-tayef nakht
• Art Gallery on the upper balconies
• Costume and photographic collections

Vaste collectie

• Heart of Cornwall Gallery – The history of Cornwall told through artefacts, art and photography, from the Bronze Age gold lunula to smugglers, rebellion and migration.
• Mineral Gallery – A collection of more than 12,000 mineral samples that tells of Cornwall's geology and 3,500 years of mining history.
• Ancient Civilisations Gallery – Objects from ancient cultures, including the unwrapped Egyptian mummy Iset-tayef nakht.

Opgericht

1818

Beheerder

Royal Institution of Cornwall

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The adult ticket also works as an annual pass. It gives access to the permanent collections and the exhibitions. Entry is free for carers and for holders of a Cornwall SEND card, and the museum publishes a list of other visitors eligible for free admission.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The entrance has a slope from River Street or five stone steps with a handrail, and the visitor doors open automatically. The ground floor has level access to the galleries, accessible unisex toilets and baby changing, and a lift serves the upper galleries; the lift controls have Braille signs. A wheelchair can be borrowed if reserved in advance, and folding seats are available at the welcome desk. There is no Changing Places toilet; the nearest is at the Hall for Cornwall. Videos in the Heart of Cornwall Gallery have subtitles. Sensory bags with ear defenders can be borrowed, and an access guide and sensory map are published online. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome.

Kinderen & gezin

• Verschoonruimte

Baby-changing facilities are on the ground floor next to the accessible toilets. Sensory bags can be borrowed at the welcome desk. Monthly workshops for home-educated children aged 5 to 15 are bookable.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The museum is in the city centre, just off the main high street towards the railway station and Victoria Gardens. Taxis can drop off on River Street, but there is no drop-off bay outside the museum.

Service & horeca

• Café

The Arts Café is connected to the museum but run as an independent business.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen

Tot 250 personen.

The whole museum can be hired exclusively for large events. The Heart of Cornwall Gallery holds 250 standing or 150 in theatre style, and there are a classroom (up to 30 children or 20 adults) and a first-floor meeting room for up to 15.

Je bezoek plannen