St Ives

St Ives is one of the most visited towns in Penwith. Even with the large number of visitors, St Ives has kept its Cornish character of cobbled lanes and granite buildings, particularly so around the harbour.

St Ives is only ten miles from Penzance. It has a long history as a town, becoming a borough in 1588. It was once called Saynt Iyes, the pronunciation changing over the years to the current Saint Ives.

St Ives Harbour

In the middle ages, St Ives emerged as a fishing port, primarily based on the pilchard fishery. This industry led to the development of the town being concentrated around the harbour. This produced a picturesque labyrinth of small narrow cobbled streets, now known as the Downalong.

Typical Downalong Streets

It was originally a fishing community, but as for other Cornish towns, the fishing industry declined. However, the fishing industry still exists, but only on a smaller scale, allowing the harbour to retain is traditional character.

Later in the 18TH Century, St Ives became an important port for transporting mineral ore. The town itself produced tin, the earliest being streamed from the streams of St Ives. Mines became established in the town on the Island and even right in the town, close to where the Bus Station is now.

St Ives has attracted many great artists over the last two hundred years. The legacy of this is St Ives numerous art galleries and craft-markets, and of course it is the location of the world famousTate Gallery.