The Newlyn Archive based in Newlyn, West Cornwall, are delighted to announce that they have been
awarded £3,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This will enable expansion of the Newlyn Archive
to collaborate with the Lamorna Society, a society that promotes art, literature and social history the
Lamorna Valley. The joining together of two West Country art archives will result in enhancing the
range of material available; bring extra resources and valuable skills that will be able to reach much
wider audiences.
The Newlyn Archive began as a collection of material, mainly digital with the purpose of collecting,
preserving and sharing written, pictorial and other factual materials relating to the history of Newlyn
and its immediate area. In 2012 it expanded to include the West Cornwall Art Archive, a collection
of material about artists associated with Newlyn, along with the Newlyn Art Gallery, which opened in
1896 through the initiative of the Newlyn Society of Artists of which Stanhope Alexander Forbes was
an important member. The funding will also allow for the next exciting project to commence ‘When Newlyners Walked to Lamorna’. The immediate result of the next project will be that more people
and a wider range of people can engage with the heritage of this important area. The integrated
archive will allow more access to those living in the Lamorna vicinity, and the existing members of the
Lamorna Society, many of whom reside outside of the West Country. The links between Lamorna and
Newlyn are particularly strong in relation to the colony of artists who lived and worked at Newlyn and
Lamorna at the turn of the twentieth century.
Dr Pamela Lomax, Honorary Newlyn Archivist commenting on the award said “We are absolutely
delighted to have got the award and our team of volunteers have already begun work, which we
expect will be completed in October, when we hold a two-day exhibition called Newlyn at Play which
will feature the famous walk to Lamorna that took place each year on Good Friday.”
The Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Cornwall said, “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity
for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant
so that ‘When Newlyners Walked to Lamorna’ project can embark on a real journey of discovery.
Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of
opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”
ENDS
Contacts: Dr Pam Lomax 01736 362876 Email: pamlomax@aol.com
Press Secretary: Carolyn Stubbs 01275 373376 Email: carolyn.stubbs@btinternet.com
