There is a tendency to see Cornwall as a large heritage site with tourism as its main industry, Newlyn can claim so much more. 
A major fishing port – its large harbour even now in the process of modernisation and improvement – the village has retained its links with artists, first forged over 150 years ago.

‘Newlyn School of Artists’ may refer to a particular style of painting developed in the 19th century, but there are artists still in Newlyn.  A village with an interesting history to be researched and conserved, it is also a vibrant community living in the present. A community with church and chapels, shops and pubs, and, at its heart, the Ship Institute. 

The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen was formed in 1881 and first came to Newlyn in 1903, occupying its present premises since 1911, the building a gift from a local benefactor, Miss Nora Bolitho.  A quick glance at the splendid copper galleon weather vane will tell you why the building is known as the Ship Institute, but not that the galleon was made by two Newlyn men, Tom Batten and Francis Clemens, who were members of the Newlyn Industrial Class.  Started by John D. Mackenzie, together with several fellow artists working in Newlyn in the last decade of the 19th century, the class was set up to provide additional work for fishermen when unable to go to sea.  Starting with woodwork there was a quick shift to repousse metalwork and the rest, as they say, is history.  Highly collectable today, there are several examples of Newlyn copper on the outside of Newlyn buildings.

There is another example of copper work on the Ship Institute, a bronze waymarker, depicting a bible and a cross inside a life belt.  This is a modern day work, designed and made by local sculptor and Newlyn man, Tom Leaper, in 2004. It is the first of ten waymarkers that mark out a trail of places of interest around the village.  An accompanying booklet gives some of the history of the village.  Another sculptor working in copper, Michael Johnson, has established the Newlyn Copper Works in a building at the bottom of Newlyn Slip, this is an exciting development sited in much the same spot as the original Industrial Class occupied a century ago.  Michael Johnson is involved in the redevelopment of Trinity Church, being responsible for the interior design and embellishment of the church furniture, font and so on.  In this project he will use copper extensively.  Tom Leaper has recently completed and installed the waymarkers for the Mousehole Trail and is involved in design projects for the Penzance regeneration scheme.  Copper working in Newlyn lives on in their capable and talented hands.

Another sculptor with an international reputation, who came to Newlyn in 1938 as the vicar of Newlyn St. Peter’s, was Allan Wyon, he was to remain until he retired in 1955.  A member of a distinguished family of engravers and medallists, he was a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. Ordained in 1933 he continued to work as a sculptor, the memorial to the artist Stanhope Forbes on the facade of Newlyn Art Gallery is by him, as is the marble Madonna in St. Peter’s Church.  There are believed to be more than forty objects of art of his design in churches and public places in Cornwall.  There were strong links between other artists and the church, both Anglican and non-conformist, in Newlyn. The artist Frank Bramley designed the banner for the Methodist Church Temperance Band of Hope, this was paraded on gala days and survives today.

Returning to copper work, a lasting tribute to the work of Mackenzie and the Industrial Class are the four decorative plaques on the façade of Newlyn Art Gallery.  Representing Earth, Air, Fire and Water these were made by Philip Hodder to designs by J. D. Mackenzie.

Some Newlyn men became involved in the craft scene while carrying on other trades.  One such was Francis Clemens (1890-1950) who had a business as a marine smith on the North Pier.  The painter, Reginald Dick, held classes in enamelling and silver work. Francis Clemens joined these classes as a teenager, in addition to learning copper beating, and became a skilled enamel craftsman.  It was he who assisted Tom Batten in making the copper galleon on the roof of the Mission.

Working in stone in the early 20th century was William Arnold Snell (1890-1971) who, on leaving school, joined his father in the family business ‘W. H. Snell & Son, Sculptors, Carvers and Granite Merchants’ which had been founded in 1888.  He learnt the craft of the monumental mason but also attended Penzance School of Art. There are examples of his work all over the United Kingdom, here in Newlyn amongst others we have the War Memorial and, engraved in slate, the William Lovett memorial on the wall of the ‘Smugglers’ restaurant and the memorial to the crew of the lugger Mystery on the wall of the Mission.

Throughout the years there have been so many others, painters, sculptors, novelists, poets, who have chosen to live and work in Newlyn and contribute to the life of the village.  Some were born here, often combining a life as a fisherman with that of an artist as several do today.  Too numerous to mention in this short account they are living evidence that the art scene in Newlyn is not confined to a period in history, it is alive and flourishing here in Newlyn now.

Margaret Perry

Comments (4)