St. Ives (Cornwall)
St. Ives (Cornwall) is a delightful, popular and picturesque seaside resort in the Penwith area of West Cornwall. It is 7 miles from Penzance.
The pretender Perkin Warbeck landed here in 1497, and was immediately proclaimed king.
Its early prosperity came from pilchards and tin, but from the 1890s it started to attract artists, drawn by the unusual quality of the light, and tourists, attracted by the mild climate and the excellent beaches.
The artists included Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Bernard Leach.
St. Ia's Church dates from the early 15th century, and has a Madonna and Child created by Barbara Hepworth. The tower rises to almost 120 feet.
On the summit of the headland, known locally as The Island, is St. Michael's Chapel.
Smeaton's Pier, constructed by the famous engineer, partially encloses the busy harbour.
The street names include such unusual ones as Court Cocking and Salubrious Place.
Barbara Hepworth's studio and garden are now a gallery featuring her work. She died in a fire at the studio.
The Tate St. Ives is a striking modern building, opened in 1993 on Porthmeor beach.
Godrevy Lighthouse, out in St. Ives Bay, was the subject of Virginia Woolf's poem "Th the Lighthouse".
Places in St. Ives (Cornwall)
Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St. Ia`s Church, St. Ives Museum, St. Ives Station, Tate St. Ives, Trewyn Gardens