Saint Ives: Art, Coast and Harbour

Saint Ives in Cornwall offers several distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: the coast, art and maritime local history. Porthmeor Beach and Harbour Beach offer different activities by the water; museums and a sculpture garden provide insights into art and the local past.

Art and Local History

Leach Pottery was founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada. Many consider it the birthplace of British studio pottery. The history of pottery is therefore one of Saint Ives’ cultural themes.

Tate St Ives is located on Porthmeor Beach and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The gallery displays particularly well-regarded 20th-century British artworks, as well as changing exhibitions of British and international modern and contemporary art. Tate St Ives also explains how Saint Ives became a centre for abstract art after the Second World War. The artworks, changing exhibitions and local history offer different ways to engage with art here.

Another strand of art history leads to Barbara Hepworth. In 1949, she established a studio and sculpture garden in Saint Ives, where she lived and worked until the end of her life. The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden contains more than 30 works in wood, stone, plaster and bronze. These materials provide a tangible starting point if you’d like to explore the diversity of her sculptures.

Religious history is also part of the town’s character: St Ia was consecrated in 1434. St Ives Museum is in the heart of the former fishing community of Downlong. Its building formerly served as a sardine curing cellar, a Bible Christian chapel, a laundry and a cinema; the museum also displays an original sardine curing cellar. The building’s varied former uses and its preserved cellar relic offer another way to explore Saint Ives’ history.

Beaches and Coastal Path

Porthmeor Beach is a soft sandy beach sheltered by two headlands. Activities there include swimming, exploring rock pools and stand-up paddleboarding. The South West Coast Path runs through Porthmeor, adding a walking option to the beach activities. This lets you choose between time by the water and a section of the coastal path when planning your day.

Harbour Beach offers an easily accessible spot for swimming and building sandcastles. The beaches have different draws: the activities mentioned at Porthmeor include exploring rock pools and stand-up paddleboarding, while Harbour Beach is also a place to build sandcastles.

Harbour, Boats and Getting There

From Harbour Beach, visitors can watch local fishermen land mackerel and sea bass in a working harbour. The harbour views add a working-waterfront dimension to the beach experience. St Ives Boats offers daily boat trips from Saint Ives harbour to Seal Island for seal watching. This is a separate maritime option alongside the beach and coastal path.

Getting there is another practical consideration: the railway branch line between St Erth and Saint Ives runs close to the coast on its way to Saint Ives. The St Ives Food Festival takes place annually.

Discover more destinations: Camborne, Saint Minver, Sancreed, Liskeard, Launcells, St Teath, Lansallos, Callington

For the broader travel overview: Cornwall.