Penzance School of Art is a building worth going to see.It’s up a hill that is Morrab Road and is in a residential area leading down to the West Promenade.
Oscar Wilde was shown around here when he visited Penzance on his lecture tour.He was accompanied by the Mayor who had invited him to see the recently opened art school.
There is an open air theatre nearby with a production of The Importance of Being Earnest being performed in July.
I was trying to see if any original features existed that might have been there when Oscar visited.Perhaps maybe the lampposts outside,which fittingly were slightly lopsided and almost foppish and quizzical,much like I think he was about humanity.
The sun shone brightly and it was lovely to see the building.
I laughed when I saw this set up which was outside the Jubilee Pool and thought what Oscar would have said? Perhaps he would have gone over for a chat and questioned if it was really poetry at all.
We got to the Queen’s Hotel and I was not disappointed . Oscar stayed here on his visit It was classic.Still owned by the same family who owned it when Oscar visited.Though Daphne de Maurier is a more well regarded guest.I wonder if Oscar paid his bill.
My objective was to have a cream tea there and although hotels are not my natural forte.I waltzed in and established that we could order a cream tea and sit in the bar with my dog.
The staff were very friendly and as I looked around I again tried to see features that may have been in situ when Oscar visited.
I think the interior is charming and has an oldly worldly feel to it. I loved the Guinness Harp on the bar.There was a wake on in the lounge and two ladies came to the small bar looking for a drink.There was no staff around and it made me laugh when the lady turned around and abruptly said
“Is there anyone serving here?”
There I was sitting in my shorts and tee-shirt,I was hardly the staff. I just put my hands in the air
.
Perhaps Oscar couldn’t have visited the Ladies Cloakroom,but he would have appreciated the amount of coat hooks available to hang up their shawls and coats when visiting.
There is a reading room in the hotel too and musical soirees , Andre Dieci did a Concert there recently.
I had a funny experience with the reading room.
I checked with a member of staff could I go in and have a look thinking perhaps Oscar would have read a book in there.
“No problem”
I opened the door and there was a lady sitting with her hands held upward like Jesus Christ surrounded by a load of other people sitting quietly in awe of her. She smiled at me and I quickly and quietly closed the door.
On my return to the bar, I told a member of staff, who smiled and said,
“oh that’s the owner,she’s having one of her hippy chickie meetings”
It was funny and no doubt Oscar would have entered the room and found somewhere to sit and read after all he was a guest.
And then the cream tea arrived which was wonderful.
And a very polite dog who discovered he likes fresh strawberries!
We have to return tomorrow evening to the hotel to collect my yellow jumper which I left there.It’ll be at reception.Oscar liked yellow.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
thenotsomightyom 