Our revamped St. Antony’s Garden was reopened in 2025. We were told it had to be made access friendly for everybody. But they lied to us. They needed to put overflows and sewage pipes there for the new monstrosity that is replacing the old Penzance Gallery which originally was Taylor’s Garage. The people of Penzance fought this development , but sadly lost.
St. Antony’s Garden was a historical part of Penzance created in 1930s. Penzance was first documented in 1280s as Pensans a small fishing village in the bay between the Mousehole and St. Michaels Mount , the two important harbours of the area since the bronze age. Exporting tin and pilchards .
Penzance is Cornish for holy headland. Documents describe a chapel that stood on the headland much older than the chapel that was replaced by St. Mary’s Church. It was re-discovered during the slum clearing in the 1930s and stood originally opposite Barbican Lane. Sadly it had been used as a fish cellar and pigsty. But they placed it in a prominent position to remind us of our history. Now it is gone.
By 1600 Penzance had caught up and whilst the Spanish Raid in 1598 destroyed Mousehole, Newlyn and Penzance. Penzance rose like a phoenix out of the ashes and now is the most important town in the bay.
Sadly the gardens are now mostly beige. A lot of ‘grass’ has been planted . Apparently to make it drought friendly. But previously our gardens were a riot of colours who did not suffered during any droughts we had in the last 100 years.
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