In October 2022 the museum commissioned filmmaker Dr. Barbara Santi of Awen Productions CIC to make a short documentary following the work of curator Dr. Tehmina Goskar, Art Fund Headley Fellow. The film charts the rediscovery and new research on the collections of the old Camborne Museum which closed in 2005 and whose collections were transferred to this museum under the auspices of Kerrier District Council.

Barbara said “As a documentary filmmaker, I am passionate about making content that has context and detail while producing a narrative that is accessible and enjoyable. I love giving a voice to the voiceless, ‘behind the scenes’ and seeing things from unique perspectives.”

Stored in the eaves of the museum’s roof, the work was originally started by museum volunteer and Citizen Curator Julia Webb-Harvey who investigated the stories of the museum’s donors, including Margaret Taylor of Redruth, an Egyptologist, and Canon Carah of Penponds, the vicar who donated ancient Roman and Jewish objects from Hebron, near Jerusalem, while also running Camborne Old Cornwall Society and helping manage the museum.

Made possible thanks to a grant of £28,000 from Art Fund, Dr. Tehmina Goskar has been dedicated to working her way through the collections from the Old Camborne Museum which occupied the upstairs of the Passmore Edwards Free Library from 1913 to 2005. 

Visitors to the Museum of Cornish Life can see some of the Camborne collection on display, including ancient Egyptian artefacts in the Victorian classroom and the alleged walking stick of famed Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick – research showed that it isn’t a walking stick but a horse-measuring yardstick. Significant archaeology, some of which is on display, also came from the Camborne collection such as fragments of the Romano-British mosaic pavement from Magor Villa. 

Over the past 12 months, Dr. Goskar has worked with the museum team to rejuvenate work on the collections, including cataloging and digitisation, researching the histories of both museums, and creating new exhibitions with the ambition to create further exhibitions in both Helston and Camborne.

Dr. Tehmina Goskar, Art Fund Headley Fellow at the museum: “I have known this museum for a number of years, and it has been a great honour to have the chance to research its work, collections and stories. I love its ethos, existing as a progressive public service for satisfying people’s curiosity about history, encouraging people to take an interest in their communities and introducing people to Cornish culture too.” 

Annette MacTavish, Director of The Museum of Cornish Life: “As a director at a small museum your role covers everything from fundraising to collections to buildings maintenance to engaging with audiences. On a daily basis you jump from one job to the other. This opportunity to work with Tehmina has allowed us to as an organisation to focus on the collection. It is odd that in museums you can forget how important your own organisations memory is. This project has made us stop and think and capture our own story of who we are and why we have done certain things”

Stephanie Clemens, Museum Development Officer for Cornwall, “I value peer learning and practical examples as the most effective ways to develop the skills and confidence of staff and volunteers in museums. Tehmina’s session with the Inclusive Collections Network was inspiring, and made us feel that changes we know need to happen in museum practice are achievable and positive.”

Dr. Goskar will be giving a Guest Lecture in Camborne on 24 March 2023 to mark Passmore Edwards bicentenary year and is also working on writing a book to tell the astonishing story of the museum from its early days run by Bill Dalton, Landlord of local pub the Beehive, to the present day. Earlier this year she was nominated by the museum’s staff and volunteers for Cornwall Heritage Awards Leader of the Year 2023.

The success of the Headley Fellowship has led to the museum being awarded another major grant of £78,000 from the Museums Association Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund over the next two years to continue collections work, this time focusing on conserving and modernising the museum’s Cornish farming collections and reinvigorating them with stories from Cornish farmers themselves.