weekender
PHOTO: © IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY
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t Ives is as pretty as a picture. Its tangle of ancient alleys opens out to reveal a harbour whose clear, lagoon-like waters mix shades of blue that you’ll find in no artist’s palette – though countless artists have tried to recreate it over the years. Many painters set up their easels on ‘The Island’ – actually a headland, dividing the Porthmeor area to the north-west from Porthminster to the east and south – which has spectacular views of the town and harbour. The little Chapel of St Nicholas here was once used as a place of worship for sailors, and later by customs officers to look out for smugglers along the coast. Far below, the harbour bobs with colourful fishing boats. Even though this scenic fishing village has drawn artists since the start of the 19th century, it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that St Ives became the centre of an art movement: the St Ives School. The artists that really put St Ives on the map were Ben Nicholson and his then wife, the sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth, who www.britain-magazine.com
ST IVES
Artists have long been drawn to this breathtaking harbour town in West Cornwall WORDS NATASHA FOGES
settled with their children in the area at the outbreak of war in 1939. Hepworth’s distinctive sculptures in bronze, stone and wood are still on display in the jungly, flower-filled garden where the sculptor herself placed them, now the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Her studio, where she worked until her death in 1975, has been atmospherically preserved, with her overalls, tools and Above: The view over St Ives’ picturesque harbour towards ‘The Island’ Next page, from left: St Michael’s Mount; Tate St Ives; the town’s pretty cobbled streets have attracted artists since the 19th century
plaster casts just as she left them. You could spend a leisurely afternoon weaving through St Ives’ network of ancient lanes, known as the ‘Down-a-long’. The curious street names here (Mount Zion, Chy-An-Chy, Wheal Dream) might have you wondering as to their origins, while rows of quaint cottages and courtyards vibrant with flowers conjure an almost Mediterranean feel. Among the shops and bakeries wafting the irresistible scent of Cornish pasties are numerous artists’ studios and galleries. The two-week St Ives September Festival – a celebration of the Arts and music – sees open studios, painting workshops and more. The art trail continues at Tate St Ives. This world-renowned gallery, set in a former gasworks overlooking the Atlantic, makes the most of the special quality of light for which the town is famous. Vast windows and curved walls frame the glorious sea views, vying for your attention with the impressive collection of modern European art, with works by Matisse, Rothko and Picasso. BRITAIN
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