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 St Ives
St Ives
(Cornish: Porth Ia) is a seaside town, civil parish and port in
Cornwall.
The town
lies north of Penzance, and west of Camborne. In former times it was
commercially dependent on fishing as an industry.
The
decline in fishing, however, has caused a shift in commercial emphasis
and the town is now primarily a holiday resort. St Ives was incorporated
by Royal charter in 1639. St Ives has been named best seaside town of
2007 by the Guardian and has become renowned for its number of artists.
Art
In 1928, the Cornish artist Alfred Wallis, plus his friends Ben
Nicholson and Christopher Wood met at St Ives and laid the foundation
for the artists' colony of today. In 1939, Ben Nicholson, Barbara
Hepworth and Naum Gabo settled in St Ives, attracted by its quiet
beauty. In 1993, a branch of the Tate Gallery, the Tate St Ives, opened
here. The Tate also looks after the Barbara Hepworth Museum and her
sculpture garden.
It was
the wish of the late sculptor to leave her work on public display in
perpetuity. The town also attracted artists from overseas like Piet
Mondrian who let the landscape influence their work, and Maurice Sumray,
who became a successful and respected contributor to the St. Ives art
scene when he moved to the town from London in 1968.
Prior to
the 1940s the majority of artists in St Ives and further afield in West
Cornwall belonged to the St Ives Society of artists however events in
the late 1940s led to a growing dispute between the abstract and
figurative artists within the group. In 1948 the abstract faction broke
away from the St Ives Society forming the Penwith Society of artists led
by Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.
Festivals
St Ives is home to 3 celebrations of interest. John Knill, a former
Mayor of St Ives, constructed the Knill Steeple a granite monument
overlooking the town of St Ives. In 1797, Knill laid down instructions
for the celebration of the Knill Ceremony which was to take place every
five years on 25 July. The ceremony itself involves the Mayor of St
Ives, a customs officer, and a vicar - accompanied by two widows and 10
girls who should be the "daughters of fishermen, tinners, or seamen".
A second celebration of perhaps greater antiquity is St Ives feast which
is a celebration of the founding of St Ives by St Ia and takes place on
the Sunday and Monday nearest February 3 every year. The day itself
includes a civic procession to Venton Ia or the well of St Ia and other
associated activities however, it is most notable for being one of the
two surviving examples of Cornish Hurling (however, in a more gentle
format than its other manifestation in St Columb Major).
A third festival is the St Ives May Day which is a modern revival of May
Day customs that were at one time common throughout the west of
Cornwall.
 Finally
every year in mid September there is the now famous St Ives September
Festival. In 2008 this Festival will be celebrating its 30th anniversary
from the 6th to the 20th September.
The St Ives September Festival
The St Ives September Festival is one of the longest running and widest
ranging Festival of the Arts in the UK. It lasts 15 days and includes
all aspects of Art from Music (including Folk, Jazz, Rock, Classical &
World) Poetry, Film, Talks and Books. Many of the local artists in the
town open up their private studios to allow visitors to see exactly how
their art is produced.
 Zennor
At the
junction of the towns of Zennor, Gulval and Madron, about 7 miles north
of Penzance in Cornwall, is a flat stone on which Arthur and four
Cornish kings are said to have dined when gathering their forces to meet
the Viking invaders at the battle of Vellan-Drucher Moor.
The coastline is spectacular, with
Gurnard's Head near Zennor, a wonderfully exhilarating place to visit. |
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