News for May 2016

We had another very successful open day last month. The Building of Newlyn Harbour was held at Trinity Centre on April 4 2016 and was attended by 172 people. We were very pleased to see Frank and Jan Ruhrmund in the crowd and managed to take a good photograph (at the top).

As well as the archive providing information and photographs about the harbour and the people who made it happen, visitors to the Open Day also brought in some interesting items, such as the medal struck for the opening of the South Pier in 1888, which was brought along by Patsy Plumbridge.

Friends of the Archive, particularly Anne Forrest and Pauline Hope, have been busy this year trying to list and catalogue all the material we hold on West Country Artists. This work is nearing completion and we will soon have the updated catalogue list on line. The artists include the important early artists of the Newlyn and Lamorna Colonies but also artists from other parts of West Cornwall.

There is also a growing collection of material about living artists, some of whom have donated important archives of their work to the West Country Art Collection. One of these is Eric Ward, from St Ives (see his self portrait). Some of his most beautiful paintings depict maritime scenes around the coast, not surprising because before he gave his career to art full time he was a helmsman of the inshore lifeboat, coxswain of the all weather lifeboat and one-time St Ives Harbour master.