An Anchor In The Maelstrom

Helston’s Museum of Cornish Life is a treasure trove of items that bear witness to life and times gone by on land and sea. 

Housing a wide-ranging collection through which we can share stories of life in Cornwall, Helston’s Museum of Cornish Life can be found in the town’s former market buildings. The collection on display ranges wildly in size, from the smallest item, a dice made from the tooth of a lion, to the largest – the historic building itself! 

Led by Annette MacTavish, the museum’s Director, this wonderful museum is always looking for new ways to share what it has to offer and to make it as welcoming as possible to as many people as possible. When the museum first opened its doors in 1949 the newspaper headline read ‘Farmers will like it’. This summer, as Annette explains, “The museum is continuing with its project led by Dr Tehmina Goskar to better reflect Cornish farming from the 1970s to today. As the project moves into its second year, we will be undertaking preventive conservation in public so visitors can speak to us and find out more. This is all being made possible thanks to an award of £78,000 from the Museums Association Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund.”

While the museum displays objects relating to working life from farming via fishing to mining, the main focus remains on everyday items. Annette continues, “We specialise in the things people owned and loved. As you look around the museum, you will see objects that remind you of things people you know have used in their lifetime. The museum is home to things used and loved, not boxed up and kept for special occasions. It’s why we can see people in the things we share, and why the museum is so special.”

Over the summer, they are running free weekly making activities for families on Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings to tie in with their summer exhibition
‘One and All’. This exhibition is the third and final instalment to Seamas Carey’s trilogy of work on Cornwall, nationalism and identity. 

The museum is free to visit and open Monday to Saturday 10am-4pm. 

MUSEUM OF CORNISH LIFE
Market Place, Helston TR13 8TH
01326564027
www.museumofcornishlife.co.uk