Summer 2026 art project
Artist Anna Pope worked with primary school children to create a collaborative wall hanging inspired by archive photographs of Godolphin House and gardens from the Museum of Cornish Life’s collection.
Each child from Godolphin Primary School created a section of the wall hanging and based their designs on the grounds and house, using various forms of printing processes. The artwork celebrates this important part of their local heritage and reflects on the school’s strong community spirit.
The three classes each used a different technique. The Emerald class (EYFS and Y1) used leaves foraged from the area to create individual relief prints on calico.
The Diamond Class (Y2 & Y3) spent a morning at Godolphin House where they met the senior gardener who taught them about the history of the gardens and the plants that were safe to forage. They then pressed their posies inside traditional flower presses. After a week, the flowers were uncovered, and each child created their own compositions in preparation for printing. On a bright sunny day, they transferred their designs onto fabric using an alternative photographic printing process called Cyanotype.
The Zircon class (Y4, Y5 & Y6) also visited the grounds using the archive photographs of the house and historic gates as reference. They spent the morning documenting what they could see using sketching techniques they had learnt in class. Back at school, they transferred their sketches onto polystyrene tiles. These were then printed onto calico fabric using a relief printing method.
As you can see from the photos of the hanging, a simple green and blue colour palette was chosen , green to reflect the plants and foliage that surround the house and school, and blue to represent the school’s uniform and logo.
During the installation of the banner at Museum of Cornish Life two students on a year 10 work placement from Helston Community College were involved. The students worked closely with the artist Anna Pope and Community Engagement Curator Isobel King to make sure that the banner was positioned correctly, that interpretation was added and a place found for a comments book.
The work was displayed at the museum during summer 2026, it moves to Godolphin House and garden for autumn 2026, and finally back at school for the children, staff and families to enjoy for many years to come.
Year 10 Students with Artist Anna Pope during the install if the banner at Museum of Cornish Life