Your Visit to St Ives in Cornwall.
St Ives (Cornish: Porth Ia) is a seaside town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
The natural beauty of St Ives, combined with the decline of the fishing industry and the increase in ease of access by road and rail has led to the town's commercial prosperity becoming heavily based on tourism.
Boasting several stunning beaches and with easy access to the South West Coastal Path, St Ives was named best seaside town of 2007 by the Guardian newspaper.
St Ives has become renowned for its number of artists and also has a strong reputation as a quality destination for surfers, walkers and historians.
Carbis Bay, often considered part of the nearby village of Lelant, is actually closer to St Ives and effectively contiguous with the town.
The South West Coast Path, the longest National Trail in the United Kingdom, runs through Carbis Bay as does the St Ives Bay branch line railway. The Coast Path, the railway, Carbis Bay beach and the easterly beauty spot of Hawke's Point are the primary attractions of Carbis Bay.
History
From medieval times fishing was important at St Ives; it was the most important fishing port on the north coast, with the bulk of the catch of pilchards being for export to Italy!
In 1877 the new railway brought Victorian seaside holidaymakers and much of the town was built during the latter part of the 19th century. The railway, which winds along the cliffs and bays, has become a tourist attraction itself and is widely regarded as one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world.
Art
St. Ives had attracted artists for years but when Alfred Wallis, Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood joined the St. Ives Society of Artists that the town's reputation as an artists' colony became well established. Barbara Hepworth also joined the Society, and then along with Ben Nicholson and Peter Lanyon led the breakaway of abstract artists from their figurative counterparts to form the Penwith Society of Arts in 1948.
The Tate St Ives gallery (opened in 1993) displays modern and contemporary art by local, national and international artists. Barbara Hepworth's studio and garden are also now looked after by the Tate.
Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada built their pottery in St Ives in 1928. Leach's work had a strong Japanese influence from his training under the master potter Kenzan and from his friendship with Hamada. The kiln in the Leach Pottery was built by a Japanese engineer and was the first chambered climbing kiln in the West.
Festivals
St Ives is home to several traditional festivals, amongst them St Ives Feast, a celebration of the founding of St Ives by St Ia, which takes place on the Sunday and Monday nearest to 3 February each year.
Additionally St Ives has had its September Festival for over 30 years now, attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. One of the longest running and widest ranging festivals of the arts in the UK, the September Festival includes music, poetry, film, talks and books and many of the local artists in the town open up their private studios.
Transport
St Ives railway station is linked to the Paddington to Penzance main rail route by the St Ives Bay branch line which runs frequent services from St Erth station with a stop at Carbis Bay, conveniently located on the cliff above the beach.
The town has regular services by National Express Coach from London and other places in Britain and buses connect St Ives to nearby towns and villages via Carbis Bay, such as Zennor, Penzance and St Just.
Useful Links:
West Cornwall Golf Club
www.101-things-to-do-on-a-rainy-day-in-cornwall.co.uk
Tate St Ives
Leach Pottery
South West Coast Path
St Ives September Festival
Guided Tours of St Ives
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