Accommodation in St. Ives

Accommodation in St. Ives

Any visit to the West Country, must include time to experience the delights of this beautiful and unique west coast holiday resort.

This Cornish gem, located on the northern edge of the Lands End Peninsula, is a picturesque amalgamation of all the essential ingredients that go together to create a truly magnificent holiday destination.

St. Ives has a Mediterranean feel about it, with its maze of narrow streets and alleyways, crescent shaped beaches with their safe golden sands, accented by sunlight playing across the surface of an iridescent turquoise sea - all set, in the uniquely rugged granite landscape of West Penwith, with waved hewn cliff faces, prehistoric remains and the haunting ruins of the once great tin and copper mining industries, which flourished throughout the area.

The narrow, cobbled streets of St. Ives, festooned with a treasure trove of brightly coloured flower displays, beckon you to wander through them - to explore their steep slopes, and discover their hidden delights and hidden corners.

St. Ives offers the visitor everything that they could wish for in a seaside resort. From the moment that you arrive in the town you are stunned by the panoramic vistas that seem to greet you on every turn.

This is a place that truly has something for everyone. Families can spend countless hours playing in the golden sands of the resorts gently sloping beaches, or simply, taking a relaxing dip in the un-characteristically warm sea.

Surf enthusiasts can chase that elusive wave, along Porthmeor beach, whilst those who are seeking somewhat more cerebral delights, can explore the towns history or experience the art work on offer in one of St. Ives' many galleries.

Though St. Ives still maintains a small fishing industry, this is nothing to what it was - the town used to be Cornwall's principal pilchard. St. Ives was shaped by the needs of the local fishing, mining and farming communities.

The town's harbour, much larger than is needed for today's seafarers, was, during the 19th century, the home port to over 400 pilchard fishing boats, as well as, handling the export of stone, tin and copper, and the import of the coal, to power the large beam engines of the local mines.

As well as a holiday destination, this stunning little town has become a mecca for the Arts.

Turner, Whistler and Sickert were amongst the earliest artists to arrive in St. Ives, then in 1928 the local primitive artist Alfred Wallis was discovered by Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood. Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Naurn Gabo settled in St Ives in 1939, and after the war there emerged a younger generation including Peter Lanyon, Roger Hilton and Patrick Heron.

This strong and vital artistic tradition, particularly in the field of the abstract avant-garde, led to the siting of the new Tate Gallery here in 1993.

The award-winning building is a triumph and the gallery has become one of Cornwall's major attractions, introducing modern art to an entirely new audience.

The Barbara Hepworth Museum is fascinating and includes a garden featuring many of her sculptures, whilst the Penwith gallery exhibits the work of many local artists at work today.