Today is St Piran’s Day (the national day of Cornwall) and the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is marking the occasion by announcing new support for Art Centre Penryn. AHF has provided a series of viability and development grants to the project since 2022. Now, Heritage Impact Fund loan investment of £50,000 will contribute towards repairing and repurposing the School Room on the site of the former Methodist Church.
The former Penryn Methodist Church, built in 1891, is a substantial building in the centre of Penryn; it was in continuous use as a chapel until its closure in August 2023. Located just behind the former church, the School Room was constructed as a Sunday School. After the Sunday School’s closure, the building was used by the Church for functions and by local organisations for community activities, however, this use eventually declined.
Image: The former Penryn Methodist Church with the School Room behind. Credit - Art Centre Penryn.
In 2017, Grays Wharf CIC was established as a community arts organisation with a mission to support artists to develop, make and show work, and to connect art with everyone.
The organisation took ownership of the Grade II listed former Penryn Methodist Church and School Room in 2023, moving from its previous site at Grays Wharf to this new town centre location and changing its name to Art Centre Penryn. From its new base, Art Centre Penryn will be able to expand its community arts offer while also bringing these much-loved nineteenth century buildings back into full community use as a major new creative space for Penryn and the wider region, with art exhibitions and creative activities coming together in a place where people will feel welcome, valued and inspired.
Image: A drawing of Penryn. The former church and the School Room, highlighted in red and pink, sit at the heart of the town. Credit - Art Centre Penryn.
The AHF investment, alongside support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is supporting the urgent repair and refurbishment of the Victorian School Room. It will also enable Art Centre Penryn to install solar panels and enhance roof and wall insulation, ensuring the building is energy efficient and that future carbon use is reduced. The solar panel installation will generate and store sufficient electricity to power the whole building once it is back in full use.
Designed by Dow Jones Architects, the School Room will house a community art room, artist studios and a shared workspace. It will also offer a range of courses, arts events, and skills training to support health and wellbeing and access to art. The new individual and shared studio spaces will provide much-needed workspace for a variety of artists and creative practitioners.
The repair and refurbishment of the School Room is the first phase of work in the Art Centre Penryn project. An AHF Project Viability Grant has also supported planning work for future phases, which will see the former Penryn Methodist Church itself brought back into use as an accessible and high-quality contemporary art gallery showcasing work by local, national and international artists.
Learn more about Art Centre Penryn and the Community Art Room crowdfunder.
The Architectural Heritage Fund offers a range of funding options, including grants and tailored loan finance with competitive terms, to support not-for-profit organisations working on or based in historic buildings across the UK. Our funding helps organisations bring heritage buildings back into sustainable use, supporting regeneration, community benefit and long-term resilience. To find out how we can support your project, submit an enquiry today.
The Heritage Impact Fund loan to Art Centre Penryn is made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.
