Local area around Penzance

The Penzance climate, being on the Cornish Riviera, is mild and this makes it a good all-year holiday destination. Situated on the eastern edge of the Gulf Stream, the winter temperatures are similar to those of Nice and Naples, and the town enjoys around 1500 hours of sunshine every year. The quality of the light is unsurpassed, and this has attracted a colony of artists to the area since the nineteenth century. The driest months are June and July.

Penzance has a wealth of interesting attractions all within walking distance of the cottage.  The sub-tropical Morrab Gardens are worth a visit. They are home to the Morrab Library, one of the few remaining private libraries in the country. Around this area are many attractive Regency buildings, especially in Regent Terrace and Regent square. 

Nearby is Penlee House and Gardens, and within the gardens is a small art gallery with regular exhibitions of paintings and a permanent collection of works by the nineteenth century Newlyn School artists such as Stanhope Forbes and Walter Langley. During the summer, plays are performed in the park.  The town’s most famous person is probably Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), inventor of the miners’ safety lamp.  His statue stands in the centre of town at the top of Market Jew Street, in front of the granite porticoes of the 19th century Market House now used by a bank. From Penzance harbour, ferries go to the Isles of Scilly.  Next to the harbour is the Jubilee open air swimming pool, an art deco listed building that opened in 1935.  Along the famous promenade is the village of Newlyn with a large fleet of fishing boats in the harbour and a wholesale fish market. 

What the newspapers say about Chapel Street

We love Chapel Street and we think it is a special place, but we are biased. This is what the national newspapers have to say about it:

“The increasingly sophisticated Chapel Street is home to a wealth of galleries, shops, bistros and old pubs. Having been an important port in the 18th century, Penzance has more Georgian buildings than any other town in Cornwall.”
Daily Telegraph/January 2008

“Chapel Street is the showpiece street. At the top of it stands the Union Hotel, where the death of Nelson was first proclaimed, with the Georgian Theatre, built around 1786, at the rear. Farther down the hill is the Turk's Head and the Admiral Benbow, two 17th-century pubs, both full of maritime memorabilia. The Abbey Hotel, previously owned by the Sixties model Jean Shrimpton, is just around the corner.”
The Times/March 2008

“Penzance is on a 21st-century roll. The promenade has been renovated and gives glorious views of the sweeping Mount's Bay. A few steps inland is the part-chic, part-bohemian 17th-century Chapel Street, which has become the sophisticated café-strewn centre of Penzance's burgeoning arts scene.” Financial Times/November 2008

“In Penzance, you are never far from the sea. You are never far from an art gallery either. There are two good bookshops, two good pubs and a couple of decent restaurants. Cut through the alleys lined with elegant Georgian captains’ houses and you come out at the top of Chapel Street, which winds down towards the harbour and is, for my money, as fine a street as any in the country.” The Times/April 2009

 

Nearby attractions

Nearby attractions on the Penwith Peninsula, all within 12 miles, include the picturesque village of Mousehole, the open-air Minack Theatre at Porthcurno, Lands End visitor centre, St Ives and the New Tate Gallery, and the historic St Michael’s Mount.

The beach at Sennen is considered good for surfing. There are several National Trust properties and gardens in West Cornwall, including Trengwainton and Trewidden Gardens. Chysauster Ancient Village, an Iron Age settlement, was originally occupied almost 2,000 years ago.

The old Geevor Tin Mine at Pendeen has a visitor centre. The South West Coastal Footpath follows the coast all the way around the Penwith Peninsula and has several stretches of spectacular walks. A little further away, about 40 miles to the east near St Austell, can be found the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.