Hidden away, just outside Penryn and Falmouth, the Higher Spargo Yard has for over four decades quietly nurtured a community of artists and craftspeople. Wild, rough around the edges, and bursting with creative energy, it remains – in the words of all its residents – ‘unique’ .

This video gathers the voices of some of the artists who have worked here over the past three decades – Tim Shaw, Carlos Zapata, Natasha Ratcliffe and Kinsley Byrne – alongside Alex and Carolyn, who are leading the farm’s next chapter. Together, they paint a portrait of a place that wasn’t designed to be an art school, residency, or collective – but over time, became all of those things in its own, distinctly Spargo way.

Higher Spargo’s story begins with the land itself – a working farm that has been in the same family for generations. In the early days, having a studio here meant pulling your weight: herding cows, mending fences, working alongside farmers and artists alike. Studios were often improvised, built and adapted by the artists themselves: empty outbuildings turned into bronze foundries and wood workshops, and hay barns - open to the elements - transformed into spaces capable of housing monumental sculptures.

Now, Alex and Carolyn, who have recently arrived at Higher Spargo, are opening the doors to new artists through a growing programme of courses and masterclasses. Their vision draws on the talents of the internationally recognised artists already here, and on the wider art community of West Cornwall – with the goal of welcoming a new generation of makers into Higher Spargo’s evolving story.

“For us, opening our doors for courses this year feels as if it is the start - although the beginning was conceivably long before this...”

- Alex & Carolyn

Videographer: Sophie May

Writer: Muirne MacKinlay MacLeod