ST IVES ৷ WHERE CREATIVITY HAS FLOURISHED

I finally visited St. Ives! It took a while and then it took a while – a 6 hour train ride from London to be exact. But it was well worth it. What possibly struck me the most about St. Ives was the incredible friendliness of the locals. I was really amazed. People were just lovely. I learnt all about Cornish patriotism too, which I had no idea about. It’s not just Scotland and Wales apparently.

St. Ives is a delightful little harbour town. Full of seafood restaurants, fudge shops, Cornish pastry, ice-cream and of course many galleries and craft shops – selling ceramics, glass objects and so on. Even in the most modest seafood restaurant our meals were served on lovely ceramic ware. The landscape is beautiful, the colour of the sand, the rocks and the architecture are pretty. The sun may not shine a lot in England but they have the prettiest flowers in the world. I love the flowers in England, and I saw beautiful flowers in St. Ives. One can understand why an artist would want to live and work here. Even foreign artists were persuaded to go there, the most notable example being Naum Gabo, who lived in neighbouring Carbis Bay for 3 years. Whilst in St. Ives I visited the Tate, Barbara Hepworth’s studios and garden and The Leach Pottery.