Introduction to the Auction House, Redruth

The Auction House is a small arts venue in Redruth that I only recently discovered.  It is in one of the buildings that make up the recent Buttermarket redevelopment which includes a food court and events space and connects to the market.

The Auction House is on the corner of Bond Street and Station Hill, right by Alma Place and Station Road, where these four roads meet at some traffic lights.  It's a slightly staggered cross roads.   

If you come via train from Penzance, you can walk straight out the station and turn left down Station Road, I would cross over straight away.  At the bottom, turn left, away from Alma Place which leads into town, towards Bond Street.  The Auction House is right on the corner with Station Hill.  There are a few steps up in to the Auction Centre on this corner.  

When you leave, you can cross Station Hill and proceed along Bond Street.  Immediately after you go under the railway bridge, there is a turning on the left that takes you up into one of the station car parks and the platform that will take you back towards Penzance.

If you are coming from the Truro direction, you can reverse the journey easily.  There is a footbridge to change platforms at the station as well.

The bus stop is straight outside the station on Station Road for buses coming from Truro and going to Helston, Falmouth and Camborne.  If you cross Station Road and turn left, going downhill a short way, you will find the other bus stop for buses coming from Helston, Falmouth and Camborne and going to Truro.

The closest car parks are at the station, which is higher up the hill than the Auction House or the Fair Meadow Carpark which is accessed from Station Hill and is lower down the hill than the Auction House.

However you choose to get there, it is likely to only be a short walk but it is not flat.  If you require a flat walk, there is some very short term on street parking on Bond Street for 30 minutes.  The spaces on Alma Place are loading only.

The Auction House is only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm.  It is a lovely historic building that gives a single room exhibition room with a high ceiling.  There does not tend to be much down time between exhibitions, as most of the switch over seems to be achieved Sunday to Monday while it is closed.  The first day of each exhibition though, it tends to shut to the public during the day and have an opening that is in the evening that are generally open to the public.  Openings are typically on a Friday.

The building is not obviously marked on the outside, which is why I had not realised this was there, despite passing many times.  I understand it's a historic building.  I sometimes find these sorts of buildings daunting to access, it takes a certain courage to walk up to an imposing door and try that handle for the first time.  When I went though, there was a sign outside on the pavement and the door was open, so it was really easy.  The interior was protected by a partition wall in front of the entrance.

There was a second room where people were talking and being social together.  They were welcoming and available but stayed out of the way.  I actually found this really nice.  It meant I could enjoy the exhibition without feeling overly watched.  I know in some galleries it can feel like you are being trailed if there are not many visitors.  That isn't a comfortable feeling!  This venue felt like it was a supportive space for the artists involved.

I liked this venue very much.  It was a lovely historic space, positioned conveniently in town as part of a fantastic multi-use redevelopment of historic buildings.  It's really easy to get to and I actually got off my train to Truro, visited the exhibition then caught the next train on.  It's clear the Auction House is a good part of the local community in the town, as well as the local artists community.  They also host artists talks as well.

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