@kresenkernow.bsky.social
Home to a million and a half original documents, books & photographs relating to Cornwall's history! Provider of activities & resources linked to these! Connecting, collecting and inspiring people here and across the world with Cornwall's archive history.
✨ Discover a 600 year old treasure that fits in your pocket… but unfolds to 2.4 metres! ✨Join us on Tues 14 April, 2–3.30 for a fascinating free talk: ‘Unfolding Time in the Rashleigh Calendar’.
Lambeth Palace curator Dr Sarah Griffin joins us at Kresen Kernow to share what her team has discovered.
Make your own medieval inspired zigzag calendar! 📅✨Join us on 14 or 15 April, 10am-12pm, for a free creative workshop with Lambeth Palace Library. Suitable for ages 5+. Spaces are limited - book via Ticket Tailor! buytickets.at/kresenkernow...
🧱🖨️ Get creative this Easter! Drop in for Lego letterpress printing with Bristol Common Press at Kresen Kernow on 8 & 9 April, 10am–12pm or 1–3pm. Make your own print using 3D printed type and a portable press. Free & fun for all ages! buytickets.at/kresenkernow...
It’s National Bed Month!
Sleep matters for wellbeing and Falmouth author Jan Sadler’s Peaceful Sleep offers a calming routine to help improve rest. Sadler, also known for her chronic pain work, received an MBE for her contributions.
#nationalbedmonth
Weekly Read: All March we’re celebrating books published in Cornwall for our new exhibition ‘Cornwall in Print’.
This week: Scryfa’s Bras and Bees by FA Notley—charting Brian Sherriff’s journey from textiles to pioneering modern beekeeping suits in Cornwall.
It’s Manorial Monday! 🗺️
Here’s a map mid-digitisation. With sizes that vary wildly, we scan them on our overhead camera or book scanner, relaxing and flattening each one to get the best images for georeferencing.
The family continued to print in Redruth until about 1939, overcoming several difficulties, including a mysterious fire in 1910. It started in a wooden cupboard containing a safe, but thanks to the quick response of fire brigade there was little damage – no one knew who or what started the fire.
Debt was common amongst printers and John Nathaniel Earle was declared bankrupt in 1864, having spent £800 on Caslon type for the printers, which he was unable to pay. In 1887, his son, Paul Earle, sued fellow printer Mr Behenna of Camborne for not paying for his help in printing material.
You can see the original signage for ‘Earle’s Printing Works’ in Redruth’s Buttermarket. This recently restored signage provides us with a glimpse into a fascinating past - the Earle family were printing in Redruth from around 1851.
Alongside our latest exhibition, ‘Cornwall in Print’, we’ll be highlighting some Cornish printers over the next few months.
Do you remember your school class photographs? 📷
We’ve recently received a wonderful album of school photographs from Clare Terrace County Primary School in Falmouth. The photographs are undated, but likely to be from the 1940s. It has since been converted into housing!
#falmouth
Gool Peran Lowen! Happy St Piran’s Day! 🏴🏳️〓〓
Today we are sharing this beautifully coloured, illustrated postcard from the 1920s — part of the Perranzabuloe parish church collection — depicting the legendary arrival of St Piran in Cornwall.
Kernow bys vyken! 🖤🤍
#StPiransDay #GoolPeran #Kernow
Valentine's poem 1723 from Benjamin Pender to Kate @kresenkernow.bsky.social
Thank you! 😍
Celebrate St Piran’s on Saturday 7 March with storyteller Alasdair Hoswell! Enjoy family friendly tales inspired by Cornwall, The Land You Can Count On. Drop in 10–12 or 1–3; storytelling sessions at 11am, 1.30pm & 2.30pm. Free for all ages. #stpiransday
Our 1947 festival syllabus reveals an extraordinary detail: composer Dr Herbert Howells served as adjudicator that year.
A reminder of how the festival has drawn notable musical figures while remaining a cherished local institution. 💛
✨ Spotlight on the Wadebridge Festival of Music and Speech.
First held in 1925, this long‑running Cornish festival has brought musicians, choirs and speakers together for a century, sustained entirely by dedicated volunteers. A remarkable legacy of community and culture.
Weekly Reads continues with our Cornwall in Print series!
This week we explore United Writers revived novel ‘Wait for the Wagon’ by Richard Nettell - set in 18th‑century west Cornwall and inspired by real people and places around Mount’s Bay.
Both of these activities are free and there’s no need to book – just drop in!
#stpiransday @discoverredruth #redruthevents #storytelling @alihoswell #familycrafts #kresenkernow #linoprinting #familycrafts #kresenkernow
Perfect for families who love stories, creativity and Cornish traditions! There will be lots of imaginative play and the chance to explore the legend of St Piran. Open from 10am-12pm or 1-3pm with scheduled storytelling sessions at 11am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm.
This activity is for all ages.
Plus, celebrate Cornwall’s heritage with author and storyteller Alasdair Hoswell. Join in with a storytelling adventure inspired by his book ‘Cornwall, The Land You Can Count On’.
Come and celebrate St Piran’s Day with us on Saturday 7 March!
Join us for Cornish-inspired lino printing between 10am-12pm or 1-3pm. Choose your favourite pre-cut lino carving - from daffodils and Celtic crosses to engine houses or St Piran - then make a colourful print!
Our latest exhibition, ‘Cornwall in Print’ is OPEN! 🥳🎉
Explore Cornwall’s historic letterpress printing industry, including stories about its community of printers. Discover what letterpress is, why its invention was so far reaching and why it is such an important part of our history.
Celebrate Cornwall’s heritage with author and storyteller Alasdair Hoswell, on Saturday 7 March for St Piran’s Day!
Open from 10-12 or 1-3 with scheduled storytelling sessions at 11, 1.30 and 2.30.
This activity is free and there’s no need to book – just drop in!
@discoverredruth @alihoswell
Come and celebrate St Piran’s Day with us on Saturday 7 March.
Our popular Cornish inspired lino printing is BACK!
Join us between 10am-12pm or 1-3pm and print using carvings inspired by the story of St Piran! Just drop in.
#stpiransday @discoverredruth #redruthevents #familycrafts #kresenkernow
🌊 February pop up exhibition ‘Water Bodies’ by Alice Mahoney. Explore Camborne’s waterways past and present with community made ceramics, drawings, and historic maps and books from our collections. Ends Wednesday 25 February!
It’s Manorial Monday! 🗺️🎉
We the love the hand drawn details of the water course (which looks a bit like a chain) going to Roskear Engine on this map of part of the Manor of Tehidy in Illogan.
#nationalarchives #manors #manorialmonday #manormap #oldmap @nationalarchivesuk @cornishmining
Join us on Saturday 28 Feb, 10am–12pm, for Storytale Studio! 🎨 This month we’re exploring playful fonts & letterforms through painting, print and collage. Create a poster or phrase to take home! Free, drop‑in, all ages welcome. With Sophie Stanley‑Butcher #popuppaintpot 💛 #redruthlibrary
🌈 Join us for an LGBT+ History Month DIY T‑Shirt Printing Workshop with artist James Frost! Sat 21 Feb, 10am–3pm. Queer joy, slogans, vinyl lettering + heat‑press printing. Sliding‑scale from £2.88—bring a tee if you can. Ages 16+. Book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/queer-joy-...
Family story weaving at Kresen Kernow! 🌿 Join Cornwall National Landscape on Sat 21 Feb for free drop‑in sessions at 10:00, 10:45 & 11:30. Meet Drolla the storytelling bench - create myths & legends with Elizabeth Dale. Perfect for families—no booking! #cornwallnationallandscape